SOCIAL  WORK 
IN  THE  CHURCHES 

A  Study  in  the  Practice  of 
Fellowship 


By   ARTHUR    E.    HOLT 

4400 

.H72  ============= 

1922 


tibvavy  of  Che  theological  ^eminarp 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 

BV  4400  .H72  1922 

Holt,  Arthur  Erastus,  1876- 

1942. 
Social  work  in  the  churches 


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SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 


APR    1   1959 
fa  \*$ 

SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE 
CHURCHES 

A  STUDY  IN  THE 
PRACTICE  OF  FELLOWSHIP 

V 

By  ARTHUR  E.  HOLT 

Prepared  for  the  Educational  Committee  of  the  Commission 


Commission  on  the  Church  and  Social  Service 

Federal  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  in  America 

105   East  22nd   Street,    New  York  City 


Copyright   1922 
By  SIDNEY  A.  WESTON 


THE  JORDAN  &    MORE  PRESS 
BOSTON 


TO 

G.  B.  H. 

WHO  LIVES 

WHAT  THIS  BOOK  TALKS  ABOUT 


CONTENTS 

Part  I. 

PRINCIPLES  AND   METHODS 

Chapter  Page 

I.  The  Church  and  Men  in  Their  Natural  Groupings..  .  .         3 

II.  Can  the  Protestant  Churches  be  a  Brotherhood  which 

Seeks  Justice? 13 

III.  The    Church    Educating    Its    Own    Membership    for 

Brotherhood 24 

IV.  The  Church  as  an  Organizer  of  Benevolence 43 

V.  The  Authority  of  the  Church  in  a  Free  Society 51 

VI.  The  Church  Allied  with  the  Home 54 

VII.  The  Church  and  Men  in  Their  Occupations 60 

VIII.  The  Church  and  the  Immediate  Geographical  Com- 
munity          72 

IX.  The  Mind  of  the  Church  and  the  World  Community..        85 

Part  II. 
PRACTICAL  METHODS  AND  SUGGESTIONS 

Section 

A.  The  Fellowship  Principle  in  Social  Action 91 

B.  The  Fellowship  Principle  in  Social  Education 95 

C.  Examples  of  Occupational  Adaptation  by  Some  American 

Churches 105 

D.  Equipment  of  Church 119 

E.  Directory  of  Social  Service  Agencies 129 


SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 
Part  I 


PART  I 
Chapter  I 

THE  CHURCH  AND  MEN  IN  THEIR  NATURAL 
GROUPINGS 

The  social  judgments  of  men  are  built  up  out  of  experience 
gained  in  search  for  the  goods  of  life.  Some  men  love  to  whip  a 
mountain  stream  with  a  trout  line  and  they  never  see  the  clear 
waters  of  a  rushing  brook  break  around  the  large  boulders  and  then 
come  together  at  the  lower  edge  of  the  pool,  that  they  do  not  ex- 
perience the  peculiar  thrill  of  fishermen  who  know  where  the  trout 
generally  strike.  It  is  an  instinctive  attitude  in  which  reason  plays 
a  smaller  part  than  countless  pleasurable  experiences  in  the  past. 
They  see  the  stream  in  terms  of  trout  pools.  Other  men  have  for 
fifty  years  been  perfecting  an  irrigation  system  largely  by  the  con- 
struction of  storage  reservoirs.  As  they  see  the  mountain  canon 
separate  and  then  come  together  until  the  walls  allow  the  river  to 
pass  through  a  narrow  channel,  they  are  certain  to  remark,  "  What 
a  place  for  a  storage  reservoir!"  "And,"  remarks  the  electrical  engi- 
neer, "Along  with  your  storage  reservoir,  we'll  build  a  power-site." 
Both  judgments  are  instinctive  and  root  in  the  life  experiences  of 
the  men.  Some  men  see  a  factory  and  immediately  begin  to  ask 
questions  concerning  profits.  They  are  investors  of  capital.  Other 
men  see  the  same  factory  and  begin  to  inquire  about  hours  and 
wages.  They  are  men  with  labor  to  invest.  Now  these  instinctive 
judgments  which  root  in  the  practical  interests  of  men  are  the  vital 
realities  of  the  moral  and  social  world  with  which  the  seekers  of  the 
"  good  life  "  must  deal.  When  these  judgments  are  partial  or 
warped,  men  act  badly;  when  they  are  adequate,  men  build  civili- 
zation. It  is  with  organized  mental  attitudes  such  as  these  that 
the  church  in  its  social  work  must  deal.  As  the  Apostle  Paul  said, 
"  For  ours  is  not  a  conflict  with  mere  flesh  and  blood  but  with  the 
despotisms,  the  empires  and  the  forces  that  control  and  govern 
this  dark  world  —  the  spiritual  host  of  evil  arrayed  against  us  in 
the  heavenly  warfare." 


4  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

The  church  in  its  social  work  is  concerned  primarily  with 
mental  and  in  a  secondary  way  with  physical  facts.  The  first 
duty  of  the  minister  is  to  understand  and  to  construct  the  mind 
of  the  church,  and,  second,  to  relate  through  fellowship  the  mind 
of  the  church  to  the  minds  of  men  who  are  organized  in  the  major 
social  groups  of  society.  In  these  social  groups  physical  facts  are 
important  as  they  are  related  to  the  mental  facts.  For  instance, 
the  mind  of  the  farmer  is  related  to  what  is  on  the  land,  but  the 
church  is  primarily  interested  in  "  what  is  on  the  mind  "  of  the 
farmer,  and,  secondarily  to  what  is  on  the  land.  If  this  book  has 
special  value,  it  is  in  the  insistence  that  the  socially  minded 
church  knows  and  takes  account  of  the  organized  mental  life  with 
which  it  is  surrounded.  Fellowship  is  the  process  by  which  mind 
meets  mind  in  a  realm  which  is  real  to  persons. 

The  Mind  of  the  Church 

The  historic  Christian  fellowship  which  comes  down  to  us  is  a 
religious  fraternity.  Under  the  leadership  of  Jesus,  it  became  a 
fellowship  open  to  all  who  possessed  the  spirit  of  Jesus. 

Jesus  set  before  his  followers  the  ideal  of  being  sons  of  our 
Father  in  heaven,  who  sends  his  rain  on  the  just  and  the  unjust 
and  causes  his  sun  to  shine  on  the  evil  and  the  good. 

His  plan  for  the  redemption  of  society  looked  forward  to  the 
creation  of  brotherly  men  who  loved  justice  enough  to  be  willing 
to  give  it  in  thought  as  well  as  in  deed,  and  to  give  it  even  sacri- 
ficially,  where  the  reward  to  be  had  was  reaped  by  those  who  come 
after  rather  than  by  those  who  gave  justice. 

Social  faith  and  trust  can  only  be  built  upon  social  justice. 
Social  justice  means  that  men  and  groups  of  men  have  good  will 
and  deal  fairly,  and  that  fairness  or  righteousness  is  secured  by  the 
organization  of  the  social  order  itself.  Communities  which  lack 
social  faith  and  trust  ultimately  disintegrate  in  social  anarchy. 
All  communities  held  together  by  force  and  fear  will  break  down  by 
virtue  of  their  own  self -generated  hatred.  Christians  are  those 
who  make  permanent  community  life  possible  because  they  are 
willing  to  give  justice,  and  give  it  first,  and  thus  become  the  crea- 
tors of  social  faith  and  good  will. 

In  ideal  Christian  churches  are  social  groups  of  people  who 
have  heard  the  call  to  the  Christian  vocation  which  comes  from 
Jesus  Christ,  and  are  pledged  to  the  working  out  of  social  justice 


MEN  IN  THEIR  NATURAL  GROUPINGS  5 

in  the  human  vocations  which  come  to  them  out  of  the  communities 
in  which  they  live.  As  Christians,  they  are  banded  together  for  the 
task  of  promoting  social  justice  in  themselves  and  in  others. 

THE  RELIGIOUS   COMMUNITY  AN  INNER  COMMUNITY 

There  is  a  certain  strategic  primacy  that  characterizes  the 
religious  community.  It  can  be  set  up  and  become  vigorous  with- 
out waiting  for  the  perfection  of  economic,  social  and  political 
conditions. 

It  is  right  here  that  religion  has  its  opportunity.  This  is  why 
it  can  be  the  leaven  which  leavens  the  whole  lump.  The  religious 
community  is  not  dependent  on  social  conditions  to  the  extent  that 
it  cannot  begin  until  social  conditions  are  perfect.  Thus  the 
minister  has  a  first  obligation  to  make  the  religious  community 
strong  and  vigorous,  even  before  the  political  and  social  relationships 
have  been  completely  readjusted. 

The  power  of  a  religious  community  to  project  a  social  influence 
is  dependent  on  the  intensity  of  its  experience  of  God.  The  church 
has  influenced  society  most  when  it  has  been  most  preoccupied  with 
the  vital  experience  of  God.  The  minister  who  makes  the  most 
profound  social  contribution  is  not  necessarily  the  one  who  talks 
most  about  the  social  order,  but  the  one  who  most  profoundly 
leads  his  people  in  a  successful  religious  experience.  This  is  both  a 
consciousness  of  God,  and  of  fellowship  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 
The  religious  community  must  be  vigorous  if  it  is  to  influence 
society. 

The  Inevitable  Extension  of  the  Religious  Community 

The  religious  expeiience  cannot  be  held  in  a  compartment  by 
itself.  Man's  nature  demands  unity.  Either  the  religious  concept 
will  influence  the  economic  and  political  departments  of  a  man's 
thoughts,  or  the  economic  and  the  political  will  determine  the 
religious.  A  vigorous  Christianity  has  always  projected  its  great 
ideas  about  God,  salvation,  and  human  duty  into  the  ordinary 
relationships  of  human  living. 


6  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

THE    REACTION    OF    THE    ECONOMIC    AND    POLITICAL    LIFE    ON 
THE  RELIGIOUS   COMMUNITY 

Our  religion  since  its  beginning  has  always  been  influenced  by 
the  natural  associations  of  men  in  tribes,  home  life,  cities,  nations, 
and  industrial  relationships.  From  the  tribe,  it  gained  the  concep- 
tion of  God,  the  Father,  and  also  its  first  interpretations  of  brother- 
hood. From  the  kingship  it  learned  the  idea  of  a  kingdom  of  God 
and  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  From  the  city  came  the  idea  of  the 
Holy  City  of  God  let  down  upon  the  earth.  From  the  Roman 
Empire  it  gained  a  concept  of  universality  and  of  world-wide 
citizenship.  The  early  associations  in  commerce  and  business  gave 
new  meaning  and  value  to  honesty.  Association  in  these  communi- 
ties, where  men  have  tried  to  work  out  the  laws  of  justice,  has  given 
to  the  Christian  religion  a  richness  of  content  which  it  could  not 
otherwise  have  attained. 

The  Present  Industrial  Order 

About  the  year  1850  the  American  people  began  to  learn  a 
new  way  of  making  a  living.  This  change  in  the  way  of  making  a 
living  has  been  characterized  as  the  "  Industrial  Revolution."  It 
is  the  most  significant  fact  about  all  of  our  present  civilization. 
Through  modern  science  machine  labor  has  displaced  hand  labor. 
Large  scale  organization  of  capital  has  made  possible  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  modern  corporation.  Modern  transportation  has 
offered  the  world-wide  market.  High-powered,  specialized  produc- 
tion in  factory  and  on  farm  has  become  the  order  of  the  day.  The 
seamstress  of  the  simple  community  of  one  hundred  years  ago  is 
now  represented  by  the  thousands  of  people  in  the  garment  workers' 
factory.  The  blacksmith  has  moved  to  the  steel  mills  of  western 
Pennsylvania.  The  butcher  now  lives  by  the  thousands  in  the 
stockyard  district  of  Chicago.  The  shoemaker  is  now  a  specialized 
worker  in  a  factory  town  in  eastern  Massachusetts.  The  farmer 
has  become  a  specialist. 

The  New  Social  Groupings 

When  we  speak  of  new  social  groupings,  we  do  not  for  a  moment 
imply  that  there  has  been  a  displacement  of  old  social  groupings 
such  as  the  home,  or  the  nation,  or  the  political  party,  and  similar 
associations  which  are  of  long  standing  in  the  human  race.     Rather 


MEN  IN  THEIR  NATURAL  GROUPINGS  7 

we  have  in  mind  that,  with  the  new  industrial  conditions,  men  have 
been  thrown  together  in  a  new  grouping  and  that  these  groups  are 
gradually  coming  to  self-consciousness.  This  self-consciousness 
has  infinite  possibilities  for  good  or  evil.  The  following  very  dis- 
tinct types  are  much  in  evidence : 

Labor  Groups 
Employers'  Associations 
Cooperative  Societies 
Farmers'  Organizations 
Consumers'  Leagues 
Merchants'  Associations 
Professional  Associations 
Chambers  of  Commerce 

The  New  Communities 

Modern  industry  segregates  our  people  in  specialized  com- 
munities. As  a  result,  most  of  our  communities  have  an  over- 
whelming predominance  of  some  class  of  people  who  represent  the 
major  industrial  interests  of  those  communities.  There  are  at  the 
present  time  several  very  distinct  types  in  American  community 
life: 

Open  Country 

Rural  Industrial 

Village 

Town 

College  Community 

Resort  Community 

City 

Suburban 
Industrial 
Down-town 
Residential 

The  Challenge  of  the  New  Order 

The  new  group  and  the  new  communities  constitute  a  distinct 
challenge  to  the  people  who  have  the  Christian  consciousness. 
The  new  communities  offer  a  chance  for  a  fresh  interpretation  of 
the  meaning  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  The  new  associa- 
tions offer  opportunities  for  a  new  interpretation  of  the  meaning 


8  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

of  brotherhood.  The  Christian  fellowship  faces  a  dilemma.  Either 
it  will  be  dragged  down  to  the  plane  of  these  natural  groupings, 
which  are  so  vigorous  at  the  present  time,  and  will  fall  a  victim  to 
a  new  type  of  social  provincialism,  or  it  will  be  vigorous  enough  to 
rise  above  these  and  temper  all  of  them  with  a  true  humility  and  a 
recognition  of  the  universal  laws  and  the  universal  values  of  the 
Christian  fellowship.  It  is  a  very  serious  question  which  confronts 
the  Christian  church.  Only  a  vigorous,  vital  Christianity  will  be 
able  to  meet  the  challenge.  With  something  of  the  old  vigor  with 
which  early  Christianity  faced  the  problems  of  the  Roman  Empire, 
the  modern  church  faces  the  necessity  of  becoming  a  universal 
fellowship  which  can  lift  all  the  natural  associations  of  men  onto 
the  high  plane  of  the  supernatural  and  the  ethically  universal. 

"  The  Mind  of  the  Flesh  is  Death  " 

Society  is  sick  from  an  overdose  of  materialism  and  of  pro- 
vincial loyalties.  Paul  was  perfectly  right  when  he  said,  "  The 
mind  of  the  flesh  is  death."  Out  of  the  untempered  loyalty  to  race, 
class,  and  nation, —  the  ultimate  reality  for  many  people, —  come 
"enmities,  strife,  jealousies,  wrath,  factions,  and  divisions."  The 
hatreds  of  the  world  are  cumulative.  A  society  based  on  force  and 
fear  will  always  disintegrate  through  its  own  self-generated  hatred. 
Our  deepest  maladies  are  moral  and  spiritual.  Only  a  sense  of  a 
Reality  which  stands  over  against  the  natural  world,  and  which  is 
of  such  infinite  value  that  it  makes  the  lesser  goals  of  human 
striving  seem  small  in  comparison,  will  dispel  the  fevers  which 
annoy  the  souls  of  modern  men.  The  church  must  offer  to  men  the 
opportunity  to  enter  into  this  realm.  It  is  open  to  the  "  pure  in 
heart  "  and  to  those  "  who  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness." 

The  Church  and  Class  Consciousness 

Jesus  launched  a  religious  fraternity.  In  its  place  we  have  the 
modern  church.  Can  the  modern  church  be  a  brotherhood? 
From  the  social  standpoint,  all  other  questions  are  secondary. 
Can  the  modern  church  achieve  a  group  consciousness  which  rises 
to  something  of  universality?  If  so,  it  must  become  more  to  men 
than  their  consciousness  of  nationality,  class,  race  and  provincial 
locality.  It  will  see  in  the  strife  and  hatred  between  classes,  races 
and  nations  an  essential  defeat  of  its  own  desire  for  a  growing  friend- 


MEN  IN  THEIR  NATURAL  GROUPINGS  9 

ship  between  men  of  Christian  profession  of  every  race,  class  and 
nation. 

No  greater  offense  against  a  brotherly  church  can  be  committed 
than  to  permit  the  church  to  fall  a  victim  to  factions  and  become  a 
faction  alongside  other  factions.  To  a  great  extent,  it  may  be  said 
that  the  church  will  stand  or  fall  in  its  social  ministry,  by  its  ability 
to  lift  its  people  onto  a  plane  of  friendship  which  transcends  national, 
racial,  and  class  divisions.  Such  an  organization  as  the  World 
Alliance  for  International  Friendship  Through  the  Churches  illus- 
trates a  principle  which  should  be  put  into  practice  in  every  com- 
munity. The  church  channels  should  be  channels  through  which 
real  friendship  can  easily  pass  from  man  to  man  without  regard  to 
class,  race,  or  nationality.  Not  until  members  of  the  Christian 
church  feel  a  bond  of  unity  which  cannot  be  disrupted  by  slogans 
of  nationalism  and  class  prejudice,  will  the  church  have  made  its 
greatest  contribution  to  social  living. 

When  Does  the  Church  Degenerate  into  a  Social  Club? 

It  is  not  possible  to  create  into  a  church  a  body  of  people  who 
do  not  like  each  other,  but  on  the  other  hand  a  Christian  brother- 
hood is  not  a  social  club.  A  group  of  nice  people  who  like  each 
other,  and  who  meet  and  enjoy  fellowship  together,  fall  short  of  that 
which  Jesus  intended  the  church  to  be.  The  friendships  of  the 
church  must  not  be  selfish.  It  is  here  that  the  church  finds  itself 
in  danger  of  being  impaled  on  one  of  two  horns  of  a  dilemma.  It 
can,  on  the  one  hand,  ignore  the  natural  groupings  of  men  and  women, 
and  devote  itself  entirely  to  being  a  universal  fellowship  which 
knows  neither  bond  nor  free,  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile.  The  danger 
in  this  case  is  that  it  will  fail  to  reach  both  the  bond  and  the  free, 
and  the  Jew  and  the  Gentile.  The  church  remembers  that  the 
apostle  who  coined  the  above  phrase  considered  that  he  himself 
was  specially  ordained  to  the  Gentiles,  and  that  he  shaped  his 
ministry  to  that  end.  There  is  a  danger,  on  the  other  hand ,  that  the 
church,  in  adapting  itself  to  the  congenial  groupings  of  men  and 
women,  will  fall  a  victim  to  these  natural  tendencies  and  will  cease 
to  be  a  universal  fellowship.  The  wise  course  for  the  church  is  to 
recognize  the  need  of  both  courses  of  action.  It  must  organize 
churches  to  meet  the  needs  of  groups  which  take  account  of  their 
natural  tendencies, — tendencies  shaped  by  the  ways  in  which  they 
make  their  living,  by  national  conditions,  and  by  previous  condi- 


io  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

tions  of  race  and  training.  Having  made  this  concession,  it  must 
strive  with  all  its  might  to  carry  out  its  gospel  of  reconciliation, 
which  will  make  all  men  one  in  the  fellowship  and  calling  which 
they  have  from  Jesus  Christ.  Christian  fellowship  must  be  creative. 
It  always  seeks  to  extend  itself  into  new  fields.  It  is  happiest  when 
it  is  bridging  gaps.  Its  sweetest  moments  are  those  in  which  it 
rises  in  new  discoveries  into  the  richness  of  universal  friendship. 

The  Christian  Philosophy  of  the  Face-to-Face  Relationship 

The  law  of  right  in  the  Christian  community  was  not  a  legal 
code  but  was  that  which  a  group  of  men  sitting  about  a  fellowship 
table  decided  to  be  the  law  of  love  in  their  relationships.  In  this 
face-to-face  conference  there  was  accomplished  a  real  reconciliation 
and  a  bridging  of  the  gaps  which  often  separate  human  beings. 
Here  master  and  slave  found  a  unity  which  tempered  the  relation- 
ship, robbed  it  of  its  harshness,  and  ultimately  led  to  a  change  in 
the  status  of  the  slave.  All  this  is  a  part  of  the  philosophy  of 
friendship  by  which  Christianity  would  solve  the  problems  of  the 
social  order. 

The  clashes  between  races  in  the  United  States,  especially 
between  the  black  and  the  white  race,  have  been  so  serious  as  to 
endanger  the  peace  of  large  sections  of  our  country.  The  churches 
in  the  South  organized  "  The  Better  Race  Relationship  Com- 
mittee," which  is  made  up  of  a  number  of  leading  Christians  from 
both  races  who  meet  together  for  conference  and  receive  into 
themselves  the  shock  of  the  racial  conflict.  They  seek  to  do  away 
with  the  cause  for  irritation  before  the  irritation  becomes  so  intense 
that  it  breaks  forth  in  open  controversy.  This  plan  for  promoting 
understanding  between  races  is  so  thoroughly  Christian  that  it 
deserves  the  encouragement  of  all  Christian  people. 

The  "  Conference  "  as  a  Part  of  the  Ministry  of  Reconciliation 

The  church  promotes  a  ministry  of  reconciliation  by  bringing 
people  together  for  reasonable  conference.  Wherever  there  are 
gaps  to  be  bridged,  there  the  church  seeks  to  bring  the  Christian 
spirit  to  bear  by  bringing  people  together  in  the  face-to-face  rela- 
tionship, in  order  that  they  may  seek  by  reasonable  discussion  to 
find  the  way  of  right  in  human  living.  This  is  the  living  righteous- 
ness not  of  the  law  code  but  of  the  Spirit.  The  "  Conference  "  is  a 
part  of  the  technique  of  the  Christian  philosophy  of  reconciliation. 


MEN  IN  THEIR  NATURAL  GROUPINGS  II 

The  Breaking  of  Fellowship 

The  giving  and  the  breaking  of  fellowship  is  a  most  serious 
crisis  in  the  church.  When  Jesus  extends  fellowship  to  the  Woman 
at  the  Well,  something  real  and  fundamental  is  happening  in  Jewish 
society.  It  was  a  historic  chasm  which  was  bridged  by  this  act. 
The  breaking  of  fellowship  is  just  as  serious.  We  have  taken  too 
lightly  the  social  consequences  which  follow  when  religious  people 
break  fellowship.  When  the  Methodist  Church  of  America  broke 
fellowship  over  the  slavery  issue,  Henry  Clay  was  moved  to  write 
the  following  words: 

"...  Scarcely  any  public  occurrence  has  happened  for  a  long 
time  that  gave  me  so  much  real  concern  and  pain  as  the  menaced 
separation  of  the  church  by  a  line  throwing  all  the  free  states  on 
one  side  and  all  the  slave  states  on  the  other. 

"  I  will  not  say  that  such  a  separation  would  necessarily  pro- 
duce a  dissolution  of  the  political  union  of  these  states;  but  the 
example  would  be  fraught  with  imminent  danger,  and,  in  coopera- 
tion with  other  causes  unfortunately  existing,  its  tendency  on  the 
stability  of  the  confederacy  would  be  perilous  and  alarming. 

"  Entertaining  these  views,  it  would  afford  me  the  highest 
satisfaction  to  hear  an  adjustment  of  the  controversy,  a  reconcilia- 
tion between  the  opposing  parties  in  the  church,  and  the  preserva- 
tion of  its  unity." 

At  the  risk  of  cumbersome  statement,  we  have  linked  at  the 
head  of  one  chapter  the  word  "  justice  "  with  "  brotherhood." 
The  church  was  under  obligation  to  seek  fellowship  with  the  negro 
as  well  as  the  white  man,  and  it  could  not  have  sought  fellowship 
with  him  while  at  the  same  time  acquiescing  in  his  slavery.  The 
fellowship  which  the  church  seeks  to  realize  is  not  an  "  easy-going  " 
affair.  It  is  not  to  be  easily  given;  neither  is  it  to  be  easily  broken. 
It  must  be  broken  only  in  the  interest  of  moral  progress  and  with 
the  aim  of  ultimate  good  to  the  one  to  whom  it  is  denied.  It  must 
be  given,  not  on  the  basis  of  race  or  class,  but  on  the  basis  of  charac- 
ter. Christians  must  be  slow  to  anger  and  quick  to  forgive.  If 
the  church  draws  a  line,  it  must  be  a  line  which  defines  real  moral 
boundaries  and  which  yearns  for  the  ultimate  restoration  of  un- 
broken communion.  The  real  indictment  against  the  divisions  of 
Christendom  is  that  they  have  ceased  to  have  moral  significance, 
and  distort  the  Christian  conscience  rather  than  clarify  it.  The 
church  can  only  have  the  confidence  of  all  men  by  standing  for 


12  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

justice  for  all.  When  it  permits  special  privilege  for  any,  it  forfeits 
the  respect  of  all. 

It  can  be  claimed  with  reason  that  had  the  churches  of  America, 
when  they  were  all  declaring  slavery  to  be  wrong,  been  so  concerned 
about  the  ultimate  breaking  of  fellowship  over  the  issue  that  they 
had  started  a  campaign  of  education  against  its  evils,  they  had 
won  a  majority  against  it  and  saved  the  country  the  agony  of  the 
Civil  War.  This  would  have  been  the  program  of  redemptive 
fellowship.  It  is  a  harder  and  more  rewarding  task  than  the  pro- 
gram of  those  who  use  fellowship  to  reward  and  punish. 

Schism  is  always  better  than  apostasy,  but  redemptive  fellow- 
ship is  better  than  either.  Something  happens  in  human  society 
when  fellowship  is  given  or  denied. 

Discussion  Questions 

1.  How  would  you  define  the  early  church? 

2.  What  characteristics  of  the  early  church  ought  we  to    revive  in  the  present 

church? 

3.  What  is  the  relation  of  the  religious  life  of  a  people  to  the  social  institutions 

under  which  they  live? 

4.  What  change  in  industrial  life  has  come  in  the  past  century? 

5.  How  has  it  affected  your  community? 

6.  What  effect  has  this  had  upon  your  church  life? 


Chapter  II 

CAN    THE    PROTESTANT    CHURCHES    BE    A 
BROTHERHOOD  WHICH  SEEKS  JUSTICE  ? 

It  is  necessary  to  draw  a  distinction  between  the  realm  in  which 
the  church  has  definite  responsibility  for  its  own  membership,  and 
those  realms  in  which  society  is  not  organized  by  the  church.  In 
this  chapter  and  the  two  which  follow,  we  are  dealing  primarily 
with  the  responsibilities  of  the  church  for  its  own  life  and  its  own 
social  organization.  In  later  chapters  we  deal  with  social  organiza- 
tions which  are  outside  the  church,  and  with  forms  of  social  organiza- 
tion for  which  the  church  has  not  the  same  responsibility  that  it 
has  in  that  intimate  realm  where  it  is  dealing  with  its  own  people, 
and  with  social  organization  which  it  controls. 

The  Church  and  Denominational  Consciousness 

If  the  church  is  to  promote  brotherliness,  it  must  subordinate 
the  denominational  spirit  to  the  Christian  fellowship.  For  the 
church  to  try  to  teach  brotherhood  without  achieving  brotherhood 
is  ineffectual  and  the  purest  kind  of  Phariseeism.  Brotherliness 
was  a  simple  problem  in  the  early  church  compared  with  its  compli- 
cations in  the  present.  Let  us  face  the  question  with  deep  sincerity. 
There  can  be  no  projection  of  brotherliness  into  the  social  order  by 
the  church  until  the  church  first  wins  brotherliness  in  her  own  life. 
The  church  has,  during  recent  years,  criticized  certain  organiza- 
tions for  unbrotherly  action.  They  have  retaliated  with  the  charge 
that  the  church  is  wasteful  in  its  organization,  that  Protestantism 
is  built  by  drift  rather  than  by  cooperative  purpose,  that  laborers 
in  the  church  are  underpaid,  and  that  the  competitive  organization 
of  modern  Protestantism  is  a  fruitful  source  of  unbrotherly  tempers. 
All  of  this,  if  true,  is  an  indictment  which  the  church  cannot  avoid 
by  refusing  to  recognize  it.  Before  denominational  resolutions 
calling  for  brotherliness  in  the  social  order  are  released,  they  should 


14  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

be  visaed  for  sincerity  by  the  inter-denominational  Committee  on 
Comity  between  the  churches. 

Brotherhood  Through  Ecclesiastical  Mechanism 

When  trees  cease  to  grow  bark,  when  individuals  cease  to  de- 
velop habits,  when  patriotism  ceases  to  express  itself  through 
political  parties,  when  culture  abandons  customs,  religion  will  cease 
to  develop  forms,  creeds,  social  codes,  and  organizations. 

Nothing  is  more  futile  than  a  revolt  against  this  tendency  in 
religion.     We   abandon    one    form   only    to    start   another. 

The  church  must  be  a  brotherhood  in  spite  of  necessary  mechan- 
ism. The  cultured  home  is  not  the  home  devoid  of  organization 
and  established  ways  of  procedure.  The  cultured  home  is  the  home 
in  which  mechanism  has  been  reduced  to  a  subordinate  place.  True 
culture  makes  mechanism  the  servant  of  neighborliness,  friendship, 
and  love.  The  church,  especially  the  numerous  branches  of  the 
church,  can  only  become  a  brotherhood  by  the  subordination  of 
necessary  ecclesiastical  mechanism  to  the  brotherly  spirit.  It  is  a 
task  of  present-day  Christianity  to  make  the  church  a  brotherhood, 
not  by  starting  a  new  church,  but  by  the  understanding  of  an  old 
church  and  the  subordination  of  the  "  letter  which  killeth"  to 
"  the  spirit  which  maketh  alive." 

Systems 

A  brotherly  church  has  a  two-fold  struggle  with  the  necessary 
systems  which  are  a  part  of  its  life. 

It  is  a  perpetual  struggle  with  old  systems.  Tennyson  has 
said:  "  Our  little  systems  have  their  day ;  they  have  their  day  and 
cease  to  be."  Every  one  who  has  struggled  with  the  problem  of 
church  organization  knows  that  these  little  systems  do  not  "  cease 
to  be."  They  are  liable  to  hang  around  for  a  thousand  years  and 
complicate  progress.  Long  after  they  have  ceased  to  be  useful, 
they  have  power  to  claim  loyalty  from  their  devotees.  The  church 
has  a  perpetual  fight  to  free  itself  from  the  good  systems  which  it 
devised  to  meet  the  needs  of  past  generations.  Only  a  living 
church  can  accomplish  this. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  church  is  always  faced  with  the  task  of 
devising  new  systems  to  meet  new  occasions.  "  New  occasions 
teach  new  duties."  New  industrial  orders  demand  new  organiza- 
tion and  codes  of  action.     The  church  which  cannot  project  these 


CAN  THE  CHURCHES  BE  A  BROTHERHOOD?   15 

also  fails.     The  church  should  not  be  afraid  of  itemizing  programs 
for  good  action.     It  must  keep  its  moralizing  up-to-date. 

In  a  word  —  the  church  succeeds,  not  by  avoiding  systems,  but 
by  subordinating  them  to  the  spirit.  The  church  becomes  a 
brotherhood,  not  by  stripping  itself  of  all  established  forms  and 
customs  and  codes,  but  by  making  these  the  servant  of  the  spirit 
of  true  brotherliness. 

The  Law  of  Service  and  Ecclesiastical  Organization 

The  coming  of  brotherliness  in  Protestantism  does  not  demand 
organic  unity  in  Protestant  organization.  It  is  very  easy  to  think 
of  conditions  under  which  organic  unity  would  be  an  obstacle  to 
the  practice  of  brotherliness.  For  three  hundred  years  the  Protes- 
tant churches  have  been  undergirding  a  fight  for  individual  rights. 
If  the  shift  is  to  be  made  to  new  slogans  which  imply  solidarity,  it 
must  be  clearly  borne  in  mind  that  this  solidarity  must  make  room 
for  a  distinct  freedom.  The  solidarity  of  Protestantism  will  not 
ignore  three  hundred  years  of  development  in  which  the  fight  has 
been  to  find  standing  room  for  the  individual.  It  is  doubtful  as  to 
whether  it  is  desirable  for  Protestantism  to  so  perfect  its  ecclesiasti- 
cal machinery  that  it  will  become  over-sensitive  about  scrapping 
unnecessary  parts  of  it.  The  organic  unity  of  Protestantism  should 
be  like  the  unity  of  a  loose-leaf  notebook  where  one  can  discard 
certain  parts  and  add  new  parts  without  destroying  the  unity  of 
the  book.  Protestantism  will  always  be  ragged  behind  and  in 
front.  In  the  front  will  be  those  groups  which  desire  to  push 
ahead.  Behind  will  be  those  which  are  lagging  in  the  march  of 
progress.  And  yet  it  ought  to  be  possible  for  these  varied  groups 
to  be  conscious  of  their  participation  in  a  great  free  brotherhood 
whose  efficiency  is  dependent  on  its  power  to  give  expression  to  a 
great  ideal.  To  this  great  objective,  all  ecclesiastical  organization 
is  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  means  to  an  end.  To  it  must  be  applied 
the  law  of  service.  This  law  will  require  varied  adaptations  of 
ecclesiastical  machinery  in  varied  situations.  Organic  unity  would 
probably  hinder  rather  than  help.  Protestantism  should  not 
develop  a  theory  which  makes  sacred  that  which  must  always  be 
secondary  and  which  can  only  justify  itself  on  the  basis  of  its 
ability  to  serve  something  higher. 


16  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

When  Organization  Defeats  Brotherhood 

"  The  Year  Book  of  the  Churches  " l  gives  us  the  following 
statistical  picture  of  modern  American  Protestantism: 

S.  S.  Total 

Denominations  Churches  Ministers        Members         S.  S.       Members      Expenditures 

54 214,430     163,360     26,009,799     185,389     18,929,948     $252,045,529 

Of  the  total  holdings  of  American  Protestantism,  however,  by 
far  the  larger  part  belongs  to  nine  great  denominations: 

S.  5.  Total 

Denominations                            Churches  Ministers  Members  S.  S.  Members  Expenditures 

Baptist 61,992       46,086  7,598,280  48,750  4,305,170  $44,460,716 

Congregational 6,019         5,722  808,122  5,804          709,859  11,608,650 

Disciples  of  Christ 8,912         6,031  1,193,423  8,643          961,723  10,413,823 

Lutherans 15,638         9,731  2,451,997  7,429          995,336  24,587,529 

Methodist 67,493       46,364  7,867,863  69,078  7,287,381  69,114,296 

Presbyterian 16,066       14,623  2,243,678  14,627  1,847,945  36,536,465 

Protestant  Episcopal 8,103         5,677  1,065,825  5,790          435,761  22,509,942 

Reformed 2,779         2,236  535,040  2,758          484,548  7,042,538 

United  Brethren 3,907         2,810  367,087  3,599          478,119  4,716,157 

Totals 190,909     139,280     24,131,315     166,478     17,505,842     $230,990,116 

Do  these  Christians  think  of  themselves  and  of  each  other  as 
the  early  Christians  thought  of  themselves  and  of  each  other? 
Few  would  venture  to  say  that  they  do.  What  has  a  "Balkanized" 
Protestantism  to  say  to  a  "  Balkanized  "  Central  Europe  ? 

The  "  Balkanization  "  of  Central  Europe  is  a  moral  fact  which 
grows  out  of  an  uneconomic  organization  of  nations.  This  uneco- 
nomic organization  is  due  to  the  survival  of  political  systems  and 
ethnic  migrations  which  were  instituted  before  railroads  and 
modern  means  of  communication  made  possible  the  organization 
of  peoples  in  large  geographical  units.  A  modern  world  of  industry 
has  outgrown  the  old  organization  of  peoples,  and  demands  a  sub- 
ordination of  them  in  the  interest  of  progress.  Until  this  unity  can 
be  had,  this  political  situation  will  be  the  fruitful  source  of  tempers 
which  complicate  the  task  of  statesmanship.  The  "  Balkaniza- 
tion "  of  modern  Protestantism  is  due  partly  to  the  survival  in  a 
new  world  of  old  world  religious  organization.  It  is  due  also  to  an 
undue  emphasis  on  the  right  of  self-determination  and  separate 
organization  for  every  religious  group  which  desires  self-expression. 

There  are  two  reasons  why  any  discussion  of  the  church  and 
brotherhood  must  face  this  question  of  the  organization  of  modern 
Protestantism. 

The  first  reason  grows  out  of  the  fact  that  whenever  the  church 
organizes  people,  it  gives  them  either  a  successful  or  an  unsuccessful 
experience  in  organized  living  which  has  much  to  do  with  their 

U920 


CAN  THE  CHURCHES  BE  A  BROTHERHOOD?  17 

social  education.  Our  democratic  political  experience  owes  much 
to  the  democratic  religious  training  fostered  by  the  early  American 
churches.  In  speaking  of  the  early  political  organization  in 
America,  one  writer  says: 

"  It  is  quite  certain  that  they  (the  Colonists)  copied  largely,  in 
their  formation  of  the  scheme  of  town  government,  from  the  form 
of  church  government  of  that  branch  of  dissenters  from  the  Es- 
tablished church  of  England  which  afterwards  developed  into  the 
Congregational  Church  in  this  country.  Indeed,  the  common 
name  '  Moderator  '  was  applied  alike  to  the  presiding  officers  of 
both  town  and  church  meeting." 

"  In  1776  Jonathan  Mayhew  wrote  to  James  Otis:  '  You  have 
heard  of  the  Communion  of  Churches.  .  .  .  While  I  was  thinking 
of  this  in  my  bed  the  great  use  and  importance  of  a  communion  of 
colonies  appeared  to  me  in  a  strong  light,  which  led  me  immediately 
to  set  down  these  hints  and  transmit  to  you.'  " 

The  contribution  which  the  church  makes  to  social  education, 
in  training  people  in  organized  purposeful  social  activity,  in  its  own 
organization,  is  by  no  means  small.  The  churches  should  look 
upon  this  organization  with  a  serious  purpose  because  of  its  edu- 
cational value. 

The  second  reason  is  the  obverse  of  the  first,  namely,  that  bad 
organization  becomes  a  fruitful  source  of  wrong  attitudes  and  bad 
tempers  on  the  part  of  the  people  organized.  Despite  the  high- 
mindedness  of  many  Protestant  leaders,  the  organization  of  Protes- 
tantism sags  to  the  low  plane  of  competitive  strife  between  religious 
groups.  The  churches  are  often  not  realizing  among  themselves  a 
brotherly  relationship,  and  thereby  forfeit  their  moral  right  to  urge 
this  upon  others. 

In  the  third  place,  public  opinion  is  strongly  prejudiced  against 
denominational  assertion  of  community  leadership.  What  a  local 
church  or  a  denomination  cannot  do  in  a  community  when  it  works 
alone,  it  can  freely  do  with  public  confidence  when  it  is  part  of  a 
religious  community  solidarity. 

Here  again  the  remedy  is  not  a  hasty  rejection  of  all  the  ecclesi- 
astical organization,  but  a  subordination  of  organization  to  the 
spirit  and  purpose  of  Christianity.  Organization  should  be  recog- 
nized as  everywhere  necessary  and  always  secondary.  That 
which  the  churches  urge  upon  industry,  namely,  organization  for 
service,  must  also  become  the  rule  of  the  church.     Until  ecclesiasti- 


18  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

cal  leaders  can  practise  this  moral  self-renunciation,  they  have  no 
right  to  speak  to  a  world  whose  greatest  sin  is  the  failure  to  sub- 
ordinate social  organization  to  the  principle  of  service. 

The  Denominational  Unit  as  a  Basis  of  Social  Cooperation 

Although  the  denominational  organization  of  society  is  not  at 
present  always  effective,  it  is  necessary  to  admit  that  probably 
more  people  have  learned  voluntary  brotherly  cooperation  through 
denominational  action  than  in  any  other  non-political  way.  The 
denominational  unit  of  organization  has  led  millions  of  people  in 
great  cooperative  activity.  By  it,  churches  were  planted  in  almost 
every  community  in  America,  from  New  England  to  California. 
The  American  people  during  every  decade  of  the  last  century  settled 
a  territory  almost  as  large  as  Central  Europe,  and  the  denomina- 
tional organizations  of  America  have  belted  the  globe  with  their 
benevolent  undertakings.  This  has  been  a  voluntary  cooperation 
in  obedience  to  a  common  ideal.  Although  large  and  necessary 
readjustments  must  be  made  in  denominational  organization,  the 
church  has  given  to  millions  of  people  an  experience  in  social 
co-operation  in  denominational  groups  which  has  been  their  most 
successful  and  significant  experience  in  social  action.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  scrap  this  unit,  but  rather  to  eliminate  the  waste  which 
grows  out  of  it,  by  comity  and  cooperation. 

The  Community  Church 

The  community  church  represents  an  attempt  to  apply  the 
law  of  service  to  ecclesiastical  organization,  in  places  where  the  de- 
nominational organization  has  broken  down.  The  denominational 
divisions  of  the  city  are  often  an  intrusion  in  a  small  community. 
Many  people  see  in  the  community  church  movement  a  sign  of 
progress  and  a  tendency  in  the  right  direction.  In  so  far  as  this 
movement  unifies  the  body  of  Christ  and  gives  freedom  and  vigor 
to  Christian  action,  it  is  worthy  of  support.  Many  of  the  com- 
munity churches  which  have  been  organized  have  accomplished 
these  results. 

The  Essence  of  the  Community  Church 

The  essence  of  the  community  church  is  an  idea,  not  a  form  of 
organization.  This  is  clearly  brought  out  in  an  article  by  David 
R.  Piper,  managing  editor  of  The  Community  Churchman,  in  which 


CAN  THE  CHURCHES  BE  A  BROTHERHOOD?   19 

he  is  discussing  the  question  of  national  organization  for  com- 
munity churches. 

"  To  form  an  organization  of  such  churches  is  to  endanger  the 
larger  success  of  the  movement.  First  of  all,  the  very  uniformity 
of  type  of  the  churches  which  would  join  such  an  organization  would 
stamp  them  as  a  new  denomination  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and 
that  uniformity  might  even  tend  actually  to  make  them  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  another  sect.  Inevitably  also,  the  formation 
of  such  an  organization  would  give  to  the  organization  a  sort  of 
patent  on  the  name  '  Community  Church,'  to  which  it  would  not 
be  entitled,  inasmuch  as  any  church  with  a  broad  enough  basis  of 
membership  to  include  all  Christians  of  the  community  on  their 
own  terms  of  membership  is  a  community  church,  if  it  also  serves 
the  whole  community.  The  difference  in  the  membership  basis  of 
the  denominational  church  and  the  community  church  is  this: 
that  to  become  a  member  of  a  denominational  church  one  must 
become  also  a  member  of  the  denomination,  whereas  to  become  a 
member  of  a  community  church  this  may  be  optional  but  never 
necessary.  Permission  to  retain  denominational  affiliation  as  in- 
dividuals is  as  vital  a  part  of  the  community  church  program  as  is 
the  ideal  of  bringing  all  Christians  of  the  community  together  to 
serve  the  community  in  one  organization.  To  deny  this  privilege 
to  those  desiring  it,  is  to  restrict  the  basis  of  membership  as  truly 
as  to  insist  that  they  all  join  a  given  denomination.  Federated 
churches  offering  membership  privileges  to  those  not  desiring  to 
affiliate  with  any  sect,  and  denominational  churches  offering  similar 
privileges,  are  true  community  churches  if  they  serve  their  com- 
munities. We  cannot  read  them  out.  And  the  movement  will 
lose  much  influence  and  be  greatly  retarded  if  any  one  type  of 
community  churches  ever  organized  on  a  basis  which  would  exclude 
other  types. 

"  Variety  in  organization  is  desirable  to  the  growth  of  the 
movement.  It  guarantees  that  plasticity,  that  community  auton- 
omy which  is  necessary  if  the  community  church  idea  is  to  sweep  the 
country.  And  the  community  church  idea  must  sweep  the  country, 
as  local  option  spreads  over  the  nation,  if  sectarianism  ever  gives 
way  to  a  broader  central  organization  of  religious  forces." 


20  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

Tendencies  to  be  Guarded  Against  in  the  Community  Church 

There  are  two  tendencies  in  this  movement,  however,  which 
must  be  avoided  largely  because  they  will  injure  the  Christian 
consciousness.  If  the  community  church  is  an  isolated  church  in 
an  isolated  community,- — that  is,  a  church  having  no  ecclesiastical 
affiliations, — it  will  compound  a  felony.  It  will  represent  an  old 
kind  of  individualism  in  a  new  form.  The  isolated  community 
needs,  least  of  all,  the  service  of  an  isolated  church,  and  most  of  all 
the  rich  associations  of  the  larger  Christian  relationships.  If  the 
word  "  Community  Church  "  means  that  the  church  is  organized 
on  a  community  basis  instead  of  a  Christian  basis,  it  will  mean  the 
displacement  of  the  Christian  consciousness  by  a  naturalistic  ex- 
perience. The  community  which  Jesus  had  in  mind  may  bring  a 
sword  instead  of  peace.  He  always  considered  that  in  the  name  of 
the  Christian  community,  the  ordinary  earthly  communities  might 
be  divided  in  twain.  Christianity  has  a  selective  mission  and 
reserves  the  right  to  divide  in  the  interest  of  purifying. 

The  Federated  Church 

By  no  one  type  of  organization  will  the  overcoming  of  waste 
in  modern  Protestantism  be  accomplished.  The  Federated  Church 
recognizes  the  lead  of  the  great  denominational  agencies  because 
they  have  great  wealth  of  resources  on  which  to  draw.  To  them  it 
looks  for  trained  leadership  and  expert  advice.  It  sees  in  them  the 
opportunity  for  world-wide  outreach  in  missionary  activities.  In 
the  federation  of  two  churches  there  is  generally  the  preservation 
of  the  old  denominational  religious  corporation,  which  gives  contact 
with  the  larger  denominational  bodies,  and  by  which  delegates  are 
elected  to  the  national  body.  All  local  church  activities,  however, 
for  worship  and  work  are  organized  in  a  unified  way  under  a  com- 
bined board  of  church  officers. 

Interchurch  Organization 

Not  only  does  the  individual  church  have  the  opportunity  to 
give  to  its  people  training  in  social  organization,  but  there  is  a  still 
greater  training  in  the  association  of  the  churches.  Christianity  in 
learning  cooperation  has  the  chance  to  win  the  moral  right  to 
commend  cooperation  to  others.  The  over-multiplication  of 
denominations  in  the  past  century  may  be  a  means  of  grace  to  the 
Christianity  of  the  present  century  as  it  rises  above  the  limitation. 


CAN  THE  CHURCHES  BE  A  BROTHERHOOD?   21 

This  will  not  be  the  first  tfime  that  the  church  has  been  compelled 
to  have  in  her  own  life  the  experience  she  would  recommend  to 
others.  There  are  a  number  of  plans  and  methods  which  are  now 
in  operation  by  which  the  church  is  seeking  to  overcome  its  own 
wastefulness.  In  working  at  the  problem  in  its  many  forms,  the 
church  members  are  winning  real  experience  in  social  living. 

The  Union  Service 

The  Christian  consciousness  has  been  re-invigorated  through 
the  union  services,  generally  in  the  interest  of  community  evangel- 
ism, which  have  been  held  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  century. 
Often  the  rising  tide  of  community  spirit  has  been  advanced  by  them, 
and  they  have  found  splendid  cooperation  in  the  various  com- 
munity organizations  which  express  the  unity  of  the  community. 
It  is  hard  to  over-estimate  the  value  of  a  great  community  service 
which  is  attended  by  men  of  all  the  different  churches,  by  various 
welfare  organizations,  all  of  them  singing  the  great  Christian  songs 
and  listening  to  a  Christian  message  and  joining  in  the  great  service 
of  worship.  Out  of  such  services  of  community  worship  there  have 
often  come  movements  for  community  welfare  which  have  been 
far-reaching.  Union  services  have  been  too  exclusively  evangel- 
istic, and  have  not  often  enough  met  to  consider  the  meaning  of 
religion  to  the  complicated  every-day  life  of  the  world.  The  in- 
vigorated Christian  consciousness  feels  a  new  sense  of  confidence  in 
attacking  community  evils  and  in  outlining  new  plans  for  the  bet- 
terment of  community  life. 

Church  Federations 

Without  disturbing  the  autonomy  and  organization  of  denomi- 
national units,  much  good  has  been  accomplished  through  the  feder- 
ation of  the  churches  for  common  activities.  The  interchurch 
federations  have  power  to  baptize  the  denominational  church  with 
a  new  spirit  of  service  and  cooperation.  The  denomination  ceases 
to  be  a  good  unit  of  administration  when  it  leaves  the  religious 
consciousness  less  vigorous,  and  it  is  manifestly  unfitted  for  com- 
munity purposes,  which  demand  united  religious  action.  The 
answer  of  the  Protestant  churches  to  the  need  for  greater  unity  has 
been  partially  answered  by  the  Protestant  Federations,  such  as  the 
Local  or  Town  Federation,  the  County  Federation,  the  State  Feder- 
ation, and  the  National  Federation. 


22  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

In  general  there  are  certain  valid  principles  which  will  introduce 
the  law  of  service  into  church  organization,  and  relieve  the  denomi- 
national consciousness  of  the  embarrassment  of  a  suspected  and 
often  a  merited  charge  of  selfishness. 

a.  The  churches  should  exemplify  the  cooperative  spirit  which  they  are  seeking 

to  recommend  to  society. 

b.  The  churches  should  respect  the  integrity  of  the  community  of  which  they  are 

a  part. 

c.  All  the  churches  should  recognize  that  the  social  interests  of  the  community 

have  been  best  served  when  the  churches  have  cooperated    in  the  various 
efforts  for  social  betterment. 

d.  The  churches  should  recognize  the  special  character  of  the  communities  of 

which  they  are  a  part,  and  should  adapt  their  work  thereto. 

e.  The  churches  should  cooperate  in  the  effort  to: 

Define  their  parishes. 
Know  their  people. 
Diagnose  their  problems. 

Organize  their  worship,  fellowship,  education,  and  ministrations  of  mercy  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  community. 

The  Protestant  Churches  as  a  Free  Fellowship 

A  true  fellowship  demands  freedom.  It  also  demands  variety 
and  difference.  It  cannot  be  forced  nor  manipulated.  For  this 
reason,  the  freedom  and  variety  of  development  in  religious  life 
which  has  come  during  the  last  three  hundred  years  has  prepared 
the  way  for  a  free  fellowship  in  religion,  which  was  never  possible 
under  the  Catholic  Church  of  the  Middle  Ages.  The  principle  of 
individual  choice  has,  however,  been  sufficiently  emphasized  and  we 
now  face  the  necessity  of  a  unity  which  shall  also  include  freedom. 
Such  a  unity  must  ultimately  include  the  total  church,  both  Catho- 
lic and  Protestant.  There  are  signs,  at  least,  which  are  prophetic 
of  the  day  when  the  Church  of  Christ  will  be  an  inclusive  fellowship 
which  rises  above  the  chasms  created  by  race,  caste  and  nation- 
ality, and  becomes  a  universal  order  of  men. 

Discussion  Questions 

1.  What  do  we  mean  by  group  consciousness? 

2.  Is  race  consciousness  right  or  wrong? 

3.  What  do  you  think  of  class  consciousness? 

4.  What  is  to  be  said  for  nationalism? 


CAN  THE  CHURCHES  BE  A  BROTHERHOOD?   23 

5.  Do  you  believe  in  denominationalism? 

6.  What  problems  do  these  various  forms  of  group  consciousness  create  for 

Christianity? 

7.  By  what  principles  must  the  church  be  guided  in  dealing  with  them? 

8.  What  do  you  mean  by  the  service  principle  applied  to  group  organization? 

9.  What  practical  plans  can  a  church  follow  to  meet  the  problems  created  by 

denominationalism? 


Chapter  III 

THE  CHURCH  EDUCATING  ITS    OWN   MEMBER- 
SHIP FOR  BROTHERHOOD 

The  hunger  for  brotherhood  is  one  of  the  primary  longings  of 
men.  The  "  Cracker  Box  Club  "  at  the  corner  store  bears  eloquent 
tribute  to  the  natural  desire  of  men  for  fellowship.  This  instinct 
is  not  something  which  the  church  creates.  It  finds  it  in  man  along 
with  man's  hunger  for  God.  It  is  the  part  of  those  interested  in  the 
salvation  of  man  and  in  the  perfection  of  the  social  order  to  stimu- 
late and  direct  this  longing,  because  around  it  we  build  up  the  super- 
structure we  call  civilization. 

Just  about  the  least  helpful  definition  of  social  service  is  to  say 
that  it  is  something  which  a  man  "  goes  out  and  does,"  after  he  has 
received  an  impulsive  impression  through  listening  to  some  one 
preach  or  teach.  Unfortunately,  a  great  deal  of  the  discussion  of 
social  service  is  built  up  on  this  scholastic  and  fruitless  conception. 
Such  people  concede  a  place  for  Christian  action  under  the  formula 
"  no  impression  without  expression."  It  is  that  impression 
which  is  badly  in  need  of  scrutiny. 

In  the  first  place,  the  impression  itself  is  very  much  dependent 
on  the  voluntary  desires  and  activities  of  the  individual.  Jesus 
did  not  say,  "  Know  the  doctrine  and  ye  will  do  the  will,"  but  rather 
"  Do  the  will  and  ye  shall  know  the  doctrine."  He  also  said, 
"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God."  All  of  his 
definitions  of  purity  of  heart  portrayed  a  very  active  purpose,  and 
not  a  static  condition.  What  a  man  seeks  very  much  limits  the 
range  of  the  impression  which  will  reach  his  mind.  "  The  hardening 
of  the  heart  "  so  often  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  is  the  graphic  way  of 
saying  that  a  man  of  bad  purpose  and  action  soon  limits  the 
impressions  which  can  reach  him. 

Again,  unless  we  are  prepared  to  precipitate  modern  Chris- 
tianity into  a  new  legalism,  outlining  programs  of  Christian  action 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   25 

which  are  unrelated  to  states  of  Christian  feeling  is  a  very  poor 
task.  Social  Service,  if  it  is  to  be  taken  seriously  at  all,  is  the  expres- 
sion of  man  in  his  search  for  human  brotherhood.  It  is  something 
first  of  all  in  the  realm  of  feelings.  It  is  a  transaction  between 
persons,  and  must  first  of  all  be  stated  in  terms  of  personal  relation- 
ships. Ethical  codes  for  the  personal  life  then  follow.  They  are 
profitable  courses  of  action  which  are  of  value  to  man  in  his  search 
for  brotherhood.  Fellowship  is  enriched  and  strengthened  by 
comradeship  in  common  tasks.  The  tasks  are  good  or  bad  in  pro- 
portion as  they  enrich  or  defeat  the  Christian  in  his  search  for 
fellowship. 

The  church  is  limited  in  social  service,  not  by  ignorance  as  to 
programs  of  good  action,  but  by  the  moral  neutrality  which  charac- 
terizes its  definitions  of  church  membership.  The  church  must  be 
more  concerned  about  what  it  ought  to  be,  then  it  will  be  prepared 
to  know  what  it  ought  to  do. 

Education  and  Brotherhood 

Education  is  a  means  and  a  method  for  enlarging  the  brother- 
hood consciousness  and  program  of  the  church.  Brotherly  activi- 
ties are  not  for  the  sake  of  religious  education.  Education  by 
setting  before  people  the  goal  of  life,  by  enlarging  their  knowledge 
of  each  other,  helps  the  church  on  toward  its  goal.  Action  and 
purpose  are  primary.     Education  is  their  servant. 

Worship  and  Brotherhood 

From  the  standpoint  of  one  interested  in  brotherhood,  the 
perfecting  of  the  church  in  the  worship  of  God  is  most  important. 
The  greatest  contribution  ever  made  to  social  science  was  made 
by  the  Hebrews  in  their  doctrine  of  one  God  who  demanded  social 
righteousness.  If  all  the  churches  were  abolished,  we  would  not 
get  rid  of  religion.  In  the  place  of  the  present  manifestations  of 
religion  we  would  get  soothsayers,  clairvoyants,  necromancers, 
ouija  board  artists,  astrologers,  and  palm  readers;  there  would 
be  a  multiplication  of  all  those  devices  by  which  the  unaided  human 
spirit  seeks  to  answer  for  itself  the  great  mysteries  of  life.  We 
could  not  build  a  law-abiding  social  order  out  of  people  who  assume 
as  the  major  thesis  of  their  thinking  that  the  universe  is  petulant 
and  freakish  in  its  central  economy. 


26  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

The  idea  of  God  as  Father  guarantees  both  democracy  and 
brotherliness.  This  is  more  than  the  doctrine  of  self-determina- 
tion, which  can  very  easily  lead  to  anarchy.  It  is  the  social 
solidarity  of  free  men  who  are  held  together  by  the  compulsion  of 
love  and  faith. 

Now  the  perfection  of  the  worship  of  God  as  Father  is  a  first 
charge  on  every  church.  It  is  the  business  of  every  church  to 
lead  into  every  community  an  invasion  of  a  true  experience  of  God. 
A  true  idea  of  God  is  the  tap  root  of  all  true  social  experience. 

In  the  worship  of  the  church  there  is  a  chance  for  the  most 
profound  type  of  social  ministry.  The  individual  loses  himself  in 
a  consciousness  of  God  when  he  is  led  in  a  great  service  of  worship. 
Not  in  every  service  where  men  say  "  Lord,  Lord!  "  is  this  purpose 
accomplished.  But  every  service  where  men  really  worship  binds 
them  together  in  a  new  solidarity  which  is  not  manipulated  from 
without,  but  grows  from  within. 

When  Worship  Defeats  Brotherhood 

While  recognizing,  however,  the  power  of  worship  to  promote 
brotherhood,  we  must  recognize  the  power  of  worship  to  defeat 
brotherhood.  Brotherhood  is  defeated  whenever  an  undue  empha- 
sis on  the  form  of  worship  causes  men  to  exalt  that  which  should  be 
secondary  into  a  place  of  primacy,  and  when  such  a  sacred  function 
as  worship  is  made  an  instrument  of  pride  and  exclusiveness.  In 
such  a  case  religion  easily  becomes  a  faction  alongside  of  other 
factions. 

Brotherhood  is  also  defeated  by  worship  when  an  undue 
emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  individual  and  his  experiences  with 
God,  to  the  neglect  of  man's  relationship  to  his  fellow  men.  Puritan- 
ism so  magnified  the  importance  of  an  inner  experience  of  religion 
that  the  attention  of  men  was  introspective,  and  they  became 
neglectful  of  those  other  expressions  of  personal  life  which  had  to 
do  with  their  brotherly  obligations  to  those  round  about  them. 

The  Social  Value  of  Prayer  in  the  Church  Service 

Prayer  is  directed  toward  God  and  not  toward  the  congrega- 
tion. Nevertheless,  leaders  in  prayer  should  bear  in  mind  that  all 
the  congregation  are  to  be  united  in  prayer  to  God.  This  can  be 
accomplished  in  the  liturgical  churches  by  careful  planning  of  the 
prayers  which  are  to  be  used  by  the  congregation.     It  can  be  also 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   27 

accomplished  in  the  non-liturgical  churches  if  the  one  who  leads 
in  prayer  will  bear  in  mind  the  power  of  this  prayer,  when  rightly 
conceived,  to  bind  the  people  together  in  a  great  experience  of  unity 
before  the  throne  of  God.  Services  of  liturgical  churches  are  more 
effective  in  socializing  worship  and  enabling  men  to  feel  their  unity 
not  only  with  men  of  the  present  but  with  saints  who  have  gone 
before.  The  Christian  fellowship  must  always  include  that  vaster 
communion  of  the  saints. 

The  Social  Value  of  a  Community  Service 

It  is  often  possible  in  the  smaller  communities  to  lead  the 
whole  community  in  a  great  service  of  worship.  This  is  accom- 
plished at  times  in  great  union  services,  sometimes  in  what  has 
been  called  "  The  Tabernacle  Service  "  under  the  leadership  of  a 
popular  preacher  or  revivalist. 

They  represent  a  desire  of  the  people  to  gather  together  in 
community  worship  where  men  from  all  walks  of  life  feel  a  unity 
which  they  gain  in  no  other  way.  From  this  standpoint  such 
services  are  to  be  commended.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  we  shall  see 
in  the  future  not  less,  but  more,  out-door  preaching.  The  habit 
of  conducting  worship  indoors  is  a  late  development  in  religious 
history.  If  the  downtown  churches  could  have  outdoor  audi- 
toriums, they  would  minister  to  many  people  who  are  reluctant 
about  going  inside  church  walls. 

The  Prophetic  Message  of  the  Minister 

The  church  exercises  a  prophetic  ministry  in  all  its  functions, 
if  these  functions  are  well  performed.  There  is  a  prophetic  ministry 
in  the  church  organization  if  it  gives  to  people  successful  experience 
in  associated  living.  The  spoken  word  from  the  pulpit  is  peculiarly 
the  channel  by  which  the  social  message  could  be  carried  to  the 
people.  There  is  a  fire  which  burns  in  the  hearts  of  men,  a  passion 
for  righteousness,  and  this  passion  must  ever  kindle  anew  the  heart 
of  the  true  minister.  The  pulpit,  after  all,  must  be  depended  upon 
to  interpret  all  other  activities  of  the  church.  The  minister,  if  he 
is  so  inclined,  can  turn  the  whole  church  with  all  of  its  activities 
into  "  sounding  brass  and  clanging  cymbals."  On  the  other  hand, 
he  may  interpret  even  the  giving  of  the  cup  of  cold  water  and  make 
of  it  a  true  social  ministry.  The  apostolic  succession  in  which  we 
are  all  interested  is  the  passing  on  of  that  prophetic  spirit  which 


28  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

burned  in  the  heart  of  Moses  and  Isaiah,  to  the  succeeding  genera- 
tions of  men  who  stand  in  the  Christian  pulpit  and  interpret  the 
ways  of  God  to  men. 


EDUCATIONAL  AGENCIES  AND  BROTHERHOOD 

In  one  sense,  all  the  activities  of  the  church  are  educational. 
In  another  sense,  there  are  special  functions  which  the  church  per- 
forms in  which  it  is  specifically  seeking  to  educate  its  own  people 
and  the  people  of  the  community.  The  Protestant  Churches  of 
America  very  early  saw  the  necessity  of  an  intelligent  leadership 
and  an  educated  membership. 

The  Church  and  Its  Colleges 

The  Christian  college  constitutes  the  first  and  most  ambitious 
attempt  of  the  church  to  enter  the  field  of  education.  The  contri- 
bution of  these  colleges  to  the  citizenship  of  America  is  a  monu- 
mental tribute  to  the  social  ministry  of  the  church.  In  its  earliest 
days  Harvard  University  was  recognized  as  a  bulwark  of  political 
freedom,  and  the  representatives  of  the  British  Crown  recommended 
the  closing  of  its  doors  as  the  first  condition,  if  revolutionary 
sentiment  was  to  be  put  down. 

There  are  at  the  present  time  in  the  United  States,  representing 
the  American  Protestant  Churches  in  the  field  of  higher  education, 
265  colleges  with  180,811  students,  with  accumulated  endowments 
totalling  $180,954,088,  with  campus  property  valued  at  approxi- 
mately $200,000,000,  These  statistics  do  not  include  the  valuation 
of  such  institutions  as  Yale  and  Harvard  and  Princeton,  and  such 
independent  institutions  which  owe  their  origin  to  the  initiative 
of  the  churches.  These  colleges  constitute  a  contribution  on  the 
part  of  the  church  to  social  education,  and  they  are  themselves 
making  a  contribution  to  intelligent  social  thinking.  The  churches 
should  see  in  the  sociology  and  economic  departments  of  the  college 
allies  of  importance  for  social  education.  There  should  be  confer- 
ences in  which  the  faculties  of  these  departments  are  called  into 
consultation  with  church  leaders.  Together  they  should  formulate 
social  education  programs  and  policies  for  the  church.  The 
churches  stand  for  brotherhood  in  human  relationships  and  should 
encourage  the  colleges  to  the  same  end.     In  the  history  depart- 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   29 

ments  there  is  the  opportunity  for  intelligent  knowledge  of  peoples 
which  will  promote  brotherhood. 

The  Church  and  College  Support 

Over  eighty  per  cent  of  the  students  in  our  universities  and 
colleges  come  from  religious  homes.  The  church  is  influential  with 
these  parents  in  helping  them  decide  as  to  the  type  of  college  to 
which  they  will  send  their  children.  The  amount  of  money  re- 
quired for  the  support  can  be  distributed  over  a  wide  territory  and 
secured  from  a  large  number  of  givers,  or  the  colleges  will  be  de- 
pendent upon  a  few  men  of  extreme  wealth.  Such  a  condition  of 
affairs  is  undemocratic  and  fraught  with  great  peril.  The  churches 
may  help  to  democratize  the  support  of  the  colleges.  A  very  large 
part  of  the  benevolence  on  which  the  college  must  rely  is  inside  of 
church  circles.  In  shaping  the  ideals  of  benevolent-minded 
citizens  as  to  the  type  of  institution  to  which  they  will  give,  the 
church  will  in  a  very  real  way  determine  the  type  of  college  which 
will  survive.  The  church  group  probably  offers  the  largest  oppor- 
tunity for  mobilizing  the  interest  of  a  large  number  of  small  givers 
for  college  support.  By  thus  broadening  the  basis  of  support  of 
our  colleges  the  church  can  help  them  win  the  right  to  be  the 
servants  of  the  democratic  spirit. 

The  Colleges  as  Brotherhoods 

Many  of  the  colleges  constitute  splendid  examples  of  what  a 
Christian  brotherly  community  should  be.  The  law  of  service 
clearly  penetrates  all  their  thinking  and  planning.  Their  outlook 
is  that  of  a  service  organization.  There  is  a  fraternal  spirit  among 
the  students  which  is  surcharged  with  religious  idealism.  Under 
the  leadership  of  the  church  or  the  Christian  Association  many  are 
carrying  on,  from  time  to  time,  social  and  industrial  conferences 
which  cover  such  subjects  as  Industrial  Relations,  International 
Relations,  and  the  problems  which  have  to  do  with  racial  conflict. 
The  church  leaders  have  a  remarkable  opportunity  to  assist  in  such 
work  and  should  help  to  mobilize  college  sentiment  in  support  of 
Christian  standards. 

The  Church  and  the  Church  Press 

The  papers  which  are  devoted  to  the  religious  news  of  the 
churches  number  four  hundred  and  forty-five,  and  the  circulation 


3o  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

is  about  four  million.  There  is  a  social  ministry  which  these  papers 
can  perform  which  is  extremely  important.  Protestant  social 
opinion  cannot  be  powerful  unless  it  can  get  the  facts  which  are 
vital  to  its  programs  of  Christian  brotherhood.  Around  every 
great  social  controversy  there  goes  up  a  "smokescreen"  which 
effectively  hides  the  real  issues,  and  makes  it  impossible  for  Chris- 
tian opinion  to  register.  If  the  Protestant  religious  press  could 
furnish  to  their  constituencies  a  larger  amount  of  real  fact  material, 
they  would  increase  their  importance.  It  is  the  only  large  group 
of  papers  which  does  not  have  some  kind  of  a  news  service  on  which 
it  can  rely.  The  Protestant  churches  are  spending  millions  of 
dollars  in  studying  "  What  happened  in  the  Past."  A  few  of  these 
millions  should  be  spent  in  finding  out  what  is  happening  in  the 
present,  and  this  fact  material  should  be  channeled  out  to  the 
people  through  the  religious  press. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  CHURCH  SCHOOL 

The  Year  Book  of  the  Churches  reports  Sunday  Schools  among 
the  Protestant  denominations  of  America  to  the  number  of  185,389, 
and  the  Sunday  school  members  to  the  number  18,929,948.  It  is 
not  possible  to  give  an  accurate  estimate  of  the  number  of  periodi- 
cals published  for  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  United  States,  but  a 
record  compiled  from  the  major  publishing  houses  which  are  en- 
gaged almost  entirely  in  the  publication  of  material  for  the  Sunday 
schools,  shows  that  these  periodicals  have  a  circulation  of  approxi- 
mately 30,000,000.  It  is  evident  that  we  have  in  these  church 
schools,  if  their  work  is  rightly  directed,  a  tremendous  force  for 
social  education. 

Planning  for  a  True  Social  Experience 

A  true  Christian  education  will  train  for  Christian  brotherhood. 
The  deepest  maladies  of  human  society  are  the  evil  tempers  which 
negative  the  spirit  of  love.  The  finished  product  of  Christian 
education  will  be  a  man  with  a  brotherly  disposition.  Such  a  man 
must  be  trained  in  social  judgment.  Herein  Christianity  is  dis- 
tinguished from  those  religions  which  make  dependents  of  men  and 
expect  of  them  only  obedience  to  law  and  custom.  A  true  Christian 
education  will  make  men  courageous  to  challenge  old  systems  and 
rise  in  rebellion  against  ancient  tyrannies.     In  the  fellowship  of 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   31 

Jesus  men  are  to  be  called  sons,  and  not  servants.     The  salvation 
of  Jesus  offers  to  a  man  a  moral  vocation,  and  not  a  law  code. 

The  indictment  against  many  of  the  educational  programs  of 
the  church  may  be  itemized  as  follows: 

1.  The  churches  have  not  consciously  trained  for  brotherhood  but  have 
allowed  conduct  to  root  in  some  form  of  ecclesiasticism.  They  have  often  made  a 
man  a  skillful  performer  of  petty  ecclesiastical  chores  rather  than  a  man  of  moral 
judgment  and  action. 

2.  The  motives  most  depended  upon  for  ethical  conduct  have  been  fear 
motives  rather  than  those  which  are  naturally  implied  in  the  character  of  God  as 
Father  who  calls  upon  men  to  be  brothers. 

3.  Christian  training  has  not  given  to  men  a  clear  vision  of  the  goals  of 
Christian  conduct  which  would  make  them  free  builders  in  the  realm  of  righteous- 
ness. A  housebuilder  is  free  only  when  he  has  a  vision  of  a  house,  knows  the  laws 
of  architecture  and  has  a  knowledge  of  building  materials.  The  church  has  not 
paid  the  price  of  training  its  members  for  great  social  action.  Only  as  it,  with 
fidelity,  sets  forth  the  goals  of  Christian  conduct  and  in  alliance  with  science  gives 
a  knowledge  of  principles  and  materials  can  it  produce  free  workmen  for  a  better 
social  order. 

4.  Christian  training  has  often  been  sentimental  and  has  not  carried  through 
and  registered  in  the  areas  of  practical  living.  Is  it  possible  that  Christian 
training  without  landing  in  casuistry  cannot  train  for  citizenship  in  the  present 
world  ? 

5.  Christian  education  has  not  been  creative  of  public  opinion  in  a  way 
which  prevents  the  major  disasters  in  human  society.  It  is  inadequate  in  its 
day  of  opportunity  and  then  tends  to  exhaust  itself  in  palliative  measures.  It  is 
too  much  to  expect  that  the  church  shall  be  able  to  control  public  opinion,  but 
it  may  be  legitimately  expected  to  exert  a  much  greater  influence. 

6.  A  large  amount  of  the  graded  lesson  material  which  is  now  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Sunday  school  forces  was  based  on  the  adaptation  of  the  material 
to  the  "  natural  age  groupings  "  of  the  children.  The  boundaries  of  these  groups 
were  the  "epochal  changes"  discovered  by  modern  psychology  in  the  life  of  the 
person  as  he  progressed  from  childhood  to  adult  life.  These  lessons,  however, 
often  neglected  the  social  organization  of  child  life,  and  when  carried  out  in 
many  Sunday  schools  divided  the  children  into  such  minute  divisions  as  to  defeat 
all  social  organization,  and  prevented  them  from  having  a  successful  experience 
in  organized  living. 

Graded  Progress  in  Social  Training 

It  is  not  the  task  of  this  thesis  to  outline  in  detail  the  methods 
of  such  an  educational  system. 

In  Part  II  we  give  a  graded  list  of  social  activities  for  the  de- 


32  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

partments  of  the  Sunday  school,  which  is  suggestive  for  the  natural 
social  activities  of  the  organized  departments  of  the  church  school. 
Heaven  forbid  that  any  group  should  take  them  so  seriously  as  to 
try  to  "  do  "  them  without  regard  to  the  inner  motive  to  do  them. 
The  process  of  personal  growth  is  from  dependency  through  obedi- 
ence to  self-determination  and  cooperation.  We  wish  to  point  out 
that  in  passing  from  one  grade  to  another  there  should  be  a  recog- 
nized growth  in  moral  and  social  development.  The  child  who 
comes  up  through  such  a  system  should  arrive  at  a  certain  moral 
and  social  maturity  which  represents  fitness  for  citizenship  in  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this,  there  must  be  the  thought  of  the 
church  itself  as  a  brotherhood  of  people  who  are  banded  together  in 
the  seeking  of  social  justice  in  all  its  varied  forms.  Any  organized 
group  in  the  church  school  or  in  the  church  should  be  but  an  adapted 
form  of  that  larger  brotherhood.  The  total  organism  is  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  The  local  church  is  a  cell  in  the  larger  organism  which 
possesses  the  properties  of  the  whole.  In  a  similar  way,  every  group 
organization  inside  the  local  church  should  think  of  itself  as  an 
adapted  form  of  the  larger  Christian  brotherhood.  If  this  is  done, 
we  will  not  commit  the  mistake — which  has  been  too  common  in  the 
past, — of  making  of  a  Sunday  school  department  a  scholastic  thing 
not  possessed  of  the  power  to  win  even  the  moral  and  spiritual  devo- 
tion which  we  find  in  such  organizations  as  the  Boy  Scouts  or  the 
Camp  Fire  Girls.  Membership  in  any  organized  group  in  the 
church  should  enrich  one's  consciousness  of  the  total  church  as  a 
brotherhood.  Too  many  of  our  organizations  promote  a  disintegra- 
tion of  this  consciousness.  When  the  child  joins  its  first  organized 
group  in  the  church,  it  should  find  in  that  group  an  enlargement 
of  its  own  personal  life  which  definitely  prepares  it  for  its  member- 
ship in  the  great  Christian  brotherhood.  Graded  progress  in  social 
education  means  natural  progress  into  full  membership  in  that 
order  of  brotherly  men  who  are  seeking  justice,  and  who  are  willing 
to  give  justice  first  and  allow  the  rewards  of  their  seeking  to  be 
reaped  by  those  who  are  about  them  and  who  come  after  them. 

The  Local  Church  as  a  Training  School  in  Social  Living 

If  we  will  study  the  multitude  of  churches  in  America  we  will 
find  that  they  are  all  more  or  less  successful  variations  from  the  old 
New  England  village  church.     This  was  the  church  of  the  simple 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   33 

community  and  a  rural  civilization.  It  remained  the  typical  church 
in  America  for  two  hundred  years.  It  was  a  one  group 
church  in  which  the  minister  was  militant  and  the  group  passive. 
But  the  democratic  spirit  has  had  its  way  with  this  church.  Under 
its  leadership  there  have  emerged  a  number  of  varied  groups.  The 
key  to  all  the  development  has  been  the  assumption  of  responsibility 
and  self-direction  by  important  groups  inside  the  church.  We 
have  women's  work  for  women,  young  people's  work  for  young 
people,  boys'  work  for  boys,  and  highly  organized  community 
relations.  We  have  the  various  organized  Bible  classes  and 
Brotherhood  organizations.  This  has  resulted  in  a  church  of  much 
complexity  but  great  power  and  democracy.  The  modern  minister 
should  be  the  promoter  of  a  federation  of  self-governing  groups, 
who  shepherd  themselves  better  than  he  was  ever  able  to  do  when 
he  gave  individual  treatment  to  individuals.  In  these  groups, 
millions  of  people  get  their  first  experience  in  social  organization. 
Here  they  learn  cooperation  and  the  laws  of  democratic  organiza- 
tion. The  modern  church  in  a  very  real  sense  is  a  cooperating 
democratic  organization. 

Brotherhoods  Within  the  Church 

Every  church  school  group,  which  is  organized  for  educational 
purposes,  should  contain  some  of  the  characteristics  of  a  brother- 
hood. The  way  it  is  organized  is  not  so  important  as  the  objectives 
for  which  it  is  organized.  By  the  organization  of  the  smaller 
brotherhoods  within  the  church,  which  keep  clearly  before  them- 
selves the  social  objectives  of  a  brotherly  organization,  the  whole 
temper  and  purpose  of  a  church  may  be  transformed.  We  give  in 
Part  II  the  annual  calendar  of  two  organizations  which  have  so 
organized  their  group  life.  One  is  a  class  in  a  church  school,  the 
other  is  a  men's  club.  Both  rightly  possess  certain  characteristics. 
The  groups  set  for  themselves  certain  goals  to  be  accomplished. 
There  is  common  conference  and  discussion.  The  study  of  the 
class  is  subordinate  to  its  social  purpose.  There  is  no  reason  why 
every  organized  educational  group  in  the  church  should  not  have 
those  characteristics. 

The  Church  and  the  Boy  Scout  Movement 

Until  the  church  has  thoroughly  absorbed  the  technique  of 
such  organizations  as  the  Boy  Scouts  and  the  Camp  Fire  Girls  the 


34  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

road  of  progress  lies  in  cooperation  with  these  great  organizations. 
In  1917,  7,319  boy-scout  troops  were  on  record  as  organized  under 
jurisdiction  of  churches  and  among  the  scout  masters  there  were 
1,394  Sunday  School  teachers  and  426  ministers  or  priests.  All 
large  denominations  have  approved  and  endorsed  the  Boy  Scout 
Movement  as  a  part  of  their  program  for  work  with  boys.  The 
tendency  is  for  the  denominational  authorities  to  assume  direct 
control  of  religious  scout  organizations,  so  as  to  bring  them  closely 
into  line  with  the  methods,  purposes  and  educational  ideals  of  the 
churches.  There  is  no  reason  why  loyalty  to  the  right  kind  of 
church  school  department  should  not  mean  more  for  a  young 
person  than  loyalty  to  the  Boy  Scout  Organization,  provided  the 
Sunday  School  Department  itself  takes  the  form  of  a  group  which 
embodies  in  itself  social  idealism,  and  has  the  right  to  challenge  the 
loyalty  of  those  who  are  its  members.  When  a  person  joins  any 
organization  in  the  Sunday  School  there  should  be  some  of  the 
moral  challenge  which  the  boy  feels  when  he  takes  the  Scout  oath. 


PLANNING    THE    CHRISTIAN  ACTION  PROGRAM  OF  THE  CHURCH 

When  the  churches  are  organized  as  they  should  be,  the  most 
important  and  responsible  people  in  the  church  will  meet  together 
in  solemn  conference  and  ask  two  questions  which  are  not  mutually 
exclusive.  One  will  be,  "  How  can  we  lead  the  people  for  whom  we 
are  responsible  in  a  true  experience  of  God?  "  The  other  will  be, 
"  How  can  we  lead  the  people  for  whom  we  are  responsible  in  a 
true  experience  of  human  brotherhood?  "  The  answer  to  that 
question  will  reach  deep  down  into  the  motives  of  those  who  are 
members  of  the  church,  and  will  carry  far  out  into  the  expressions 
of  their  lives  in  social  action.  We  find  ourselves  at  the  present 
time  in  a  transition  period,  and  we  are  forced  to  work  through 
measures  which  are  confessedly  inadequate  because  based  on 
conditions  which  must  pass. 

In  the  local  church  there  should  be  a  Social  Service  Committee 
which  gives  special  attention  to  the  social  responsibilities  and  obli- 
gations of  the  church  in  the  local  community,  and  those  obligations 
which  extend  to  the  state  and  the  nation.  Sometimes,  instead  of  a 
Social  Service  Committee,  an  Adult  Bible  Class  or  a  Men's  Club  or 
a  Woman's  Organization  can  be  made  responsible  for  the  leadership 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   35 

of  the  church  in  its  social  responsibilities.  The  activities  of  either 
a  Social  Service  Committee  or  an  Adult  Bible  Class  will  itemize 
under  the  following  head: 

A.  Encouraging  Classes  and  Institutes  for  Social  Education. 

B.  Providing  Study  Courses. 

C.  Stimulating  Discussion  Groups  and  Open  Forums. 

D.  Gathering   Information  through  a  Survey   Committee  about   Community 

Conditions. 

E.  Making  Suggestions  as  to  Christian  Courses  of  Action  in  Times  of  Social 

Crises. 

F.  Systematic  Organization  of  Relief  and  Case  Work  with   Individuals  and 

Families  in  the  Church. 

G.  Development  of  the  Church  as  a  Social  and  Recreational  Center  for  the 

Membership  and  the  Neighborhood. 
H.    Relating  the  Church  to  Community  Agencies  and  Movements. 

(It  is  necessary  to  emphasize  the  responsibility  of  the  local 
church  in  building  the  Christian  conscience  of  America.  Such  a 
conscience  cannot  be  handed  down  from  the  top.  It  must  be  built 
up,  community  by  community,  and  state  by  state.  National  bodies 
are  too  remote  to  be  reliable  sources  of  information  as  to  what  is 
happening  in  any  state.  The  national  bodies  cannot  take  responsi- 
bility for  action,  except  in  unusual  circumstances,  in  any  local 
field.  Unless  there  are  cooperating  study  groups  widely  scattered 
over  the  United  States,  the  work  of  the  national  Research  and 
Educational  Commissions  is  practically  useless.) 

In  the  cities  where  churches  and  denominations  have  multiplied, 
the  Social  Service  Commission  of  the  Protestant  Federation  of 
Churches  provides  the  necessary  step  in  an  approach  to  a  com- 
munity too  large  and  too  complex  for  the  ministry  of  any  one 
church.  The  work  of  such  a  Commission  is  to  do  for  a  number  of 
churches  what  a  Social  Service  Committee  can  do  for  one  church. 
It  can  take  the  leadership  in  holding  institutes,  suggesting  study 
courses,  encouraging  open  forums,  gathering  information,  making 
suggestions  as  to  Christian  courses  of  action  in  times  of  social 
crisis,  and  relating  the  churches  intelligently  to  social  and  civic 
agencies,  and  to  things  being  done  for  the  improvement  of  the 
community.  In  Part  II  we  give  the  program  of  a  typical  industrial 
relations  conference  held  by  such  a  Social  Service  Commission. 


36  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 


THE  FELLOWSHIP  METHOD  IN  EDUCATION 

The  principle  of  fellowship  not  only  furnishes  a  motive  and 
goal  in  education, — it  also  suggests  a  method.  In  a  fellowship 
group  men  build  something  together.  They  build  a  common  con- 
science which  is  authority  for  all  of  them,  and  to  which  each  makes 
a  contribution.  The  corporate  conscience  can  be  more  authori- 
tative than  the  individual  conscience,  if  in  securing  it  the  individual 
has  had  a  chance  to  play  his  part.  The  fellowship  group  meeting 
is  true  to  the  genius  of  the  Protestant  Churches.  In  whatever  ways 
people  have  met  together  for  prayer  and  conference,  they  have 
built  the  common  conscience. 

The  discussion  class  is  a  possibility  in  most  churches  and  is  a 
modern  expression  of  an  old  idea.  There  are  three  plans  which 
have  proved  successful  in  these  classes. 

a.  With  regular  outside  speakers.     The  value  of  this  method  lies  in  the  fact  that 

it  gives  a  specialist  every  Sunday  who  can  probably  bring  a  larger  technical 
knowledge  than  could  be  otherwise  available.  It  is  often  hard,  however, 
to  secure  a  succession  of  speakers  for  the  period  over  which  the  class  is  con- 
ducted. Often  a  central  committee  representing  all  the  churches  of  the  city 
can  prepare  a  list  of  speakers  which  can  be  made  available  for  all  the  forum 
classes  and  thus  make  easier  the  problems  of  securing  speakers. 

b.  With  study  outlines.     The  Social  Service  Commission  of  the  various  churches 

has  prepared  special  study  courses  designed  for  use  in  groups  oft  his  kind. 
The  courses  take  up  such  questions  as  the  Christian  view  of  work  and  wealth 
and  questions  having  to  do  with  the  practice  of  citizenship  and  while  open- 
ing up  the  course  in  a  large  way,  they  throw  upon  the  class  the  necessity  of 
formulating  its  own  conclusions. 

c.  The  third  method  which  has  been  successfully  used  is  for  the  class  to  choose 

some  topic  which  it  wishes  to  discuss  for  four  Sundays.  A  questionnaire  of 
this  topic  is  sent  to  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  people  in  the 
community  asking  them  certain  specific  questions  bearing  on  the  topic. 
Their  answers  are  analyzed  by  a  committee  of  the  class,  part  of  the  answers 
are  read  and  form  the  basis  for  discussion  during  the  time  when  the  class  is 
studying  this  subject.  As  an  illustration,  one  class  was  discussing  industrial 
questions.  One  hundred  letters  were  sent  out  to  as  many  employers,  asking 
this  question:  "  If  my  employees  saw  my  industry  from  my  standpoint, 
what  would  they  do?  "  A  similar  question  was  sent  to  one  hundred  employ- 
ees. They  were  asked:  "  If  my  employer  saw  the  business  from  my  stand- 
point, what  would  he  do?  "  The  answers  were  of  value  in  themselves  and 
when  analyzed  and  the  best  of  them  read  before  the  class,  they  provoked  an 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   37 

interesting  and  profitable  discussion.  Incidentally  they  brought  a  large 
attendance  of  people  to  the  class.  The  class  then  formulates  its  conclusions 
in  the  shape  of  resolutions  which  can  be  published  or  used  by  the  pastor  as 
the  basis  of  sermon  or  discussion. 

Church  Forums 

The  Forum  on  Sunday  afternoon  or  Sunday  evening  is  being 
used  to  a  large  extent  by  our  churches.  Over  fifty  per  cent  of  the 
Open  Forums  in  the  United  States  are  in  the  churches.  They  have 
contributed  much  to  freedom  of  speech  and  intelligent  discussion 
on  public  questions.  Mr.  George  W.  Coleman,  who  is  America's 
greatest  authority  on  forums,  says,  "  The  whole  genius  of  the  forum 
idea  is  found  in  the  character  of  the  subjects  treated,  the  quality 
of  the  set  of  speakers,  and  the  democratic  freedom  and  absolute 
orderliness  of  the  discussion  by  the  audience.  It  is  essential  to 
avoid  the  pit-falls  of  debating  and  to  save  the  audience  from  being 
bored  to  death  by  cranks,  and  yet  every  one  must  have  precisely 
the  same  chance  after  the  speaker  has  had  full  and  uninterrupted 
opportunity  to  give  his  message.  All  this  is  accomplished  by  the 
simple  yet  subtle  device  of  limiting  every  one  to  a  question,  and 
having  the  Chairman  repeat  the  question  before  the  speaker  answers 
it.  Written  questions  handed  up  to  the  Chairman  rob  the  discus- 
sion of  more  than  half  its  value.  It  is  essential  to  get  something 
of  the  personality  of  the  questioner,  and  it  is  vital  that  the  audience 
sees  for  itself  that  no  question  has  been  dodged  or  suppressed." 

Shop  Forums 

The  Shop  Forum,  sometimes  under  the  leadership  of  the  church 
but  frequently  under  the  leadership  of  Christian  associations,  affords 
an  opportunity  of  reaching  men  at  leisure  periods  in  the  shops,  and 
has  proven  to  be  an  effective  means  of  education.  The  rules  gov- 
erning such  forum  groups  are  similar  to  those  which  govern  forums 
in  other  places. 

Organized  Play 

It  is  always  a  question  as  to  how  far  the  church  should  seek  to 
organize  the  play  life  of  its  people.  Manifestly,  it  cannot  hope  to 
control  or  even  to  direct  all  of  the  play  life  of  vigorous  young  people 
who  are  provided  with  opportunities  for  recreation  by  their  homes. 
Again,  a  great  deal  of  the  organized  play  can  be  turned  over  by  the 


38  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

church  to  the  Christian  associations  which  should  always  be  con- 
sidered the  allies  of  the  church  in  any  work  of  this  kind.  True 
sportsmanship  offers  finer  opportunity  for  self-discipline  than  any 
system  of  military  training.  One  of  the  great  reasons  why  the 
church  should  be  interested  in  play  is  that  the  young  people  learn 
some  of  their  finest  lessons  in  democracy  and  fair  dealing  in  their 
associations  on  the  playground.  In  thousands  of  communities  and 
neighborhoods,  however,  the  basement  of  the  church  building,  or  its 
parish  house,  could  easily  be  made  into  a  center  for  supervised 
recreational  life.  This  is  in  itself  an  economy,  in  that  it  makes  use 
of  an  existing  building.  Whatever  draws  people  to  the  church 
also  tends  to  interest  them  in  its  other  features,  such  as  worship 
and  relieious  education. 


WHAT  WILL  THE  BROTHERHOOD   GROUPS   STUDY? 

They  will  study  first  the  story  of  the  early  Christian  brother- 
hood which  rooted  in  the  Old  Testament  social  experience.  Here 
is  the  material  for  stimulating  in  the  finest  way  the  social  passion 
of  the  modern  Christian.  For  such  courses  there  are  available  the 
following: 

a.  The  Making  of  a  Nation.     C.  F.  Kent  and  J.  W.  Jenks.     12  Studies. 

Scribner's 

b.  The  Testing  of  a  Nation's  Ideals.     C.  F.  Kent  and  J.  W.  Jenks.     12  Studies. 

Scribner's 

c.  The  Bible  as  a  Community  Book.     A.  E.  Holt.     9  Studies. 

The  Woman's  Press 

d.  Social  Teachings  of  Prophets  and  Jesus.     C.  F.  Kent.     28  Studies. 

Scribner's 

e.  The  Bible  and  Social  Living.     International  Graded  Lesson  Series. 

Graded  Lessons  Syndicate 

f.  Jesus'  Principles  of  Living.     C.  F.  Kent  and  J.  W.  Jenks.     12  Chapters. 

Scribner's 

g.  Social  Significance  of  the  Teachings  of  Jesus.     J.  W.  Jenks.     12  Studies. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Press 
h.  Social  Teachings  of  Christ  Jesus.     W.  Beatty  Jennings.     20  Studies. 

Revell  Company 
i.    The  Social  Principles  of  Jesus.     Walter  Rauschenbusch.     12  Studies. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Press 
j.    Christ  and  the  Nations.     S.  Z.  Batten.     12  Studies. 

Baptist  Publishing  Society 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   39 

k.  Psalms  of  the  Social  Life.     Cleland  B.  McAfee.     13  Studies. 

Association  Press 

I.    The  World  a  Field  for  Christian  Service.     Sidney  A.  Weston.     52  Lessons  — 

4  Quarters.  Pilgrim  Press 

But  the  education  which  furthers  brotherhood  cannot  stop 
with  the  study  of  the  men  of  two  thousand  years  ago.  Such  educa- 
tion must  study  the  men  of  the  present.  Classes,  races  and  nations 
must  be  brought  into  brotherly  relationship  through  intelligent 
understanding  of  each  other.  Especially  must  the  Christians  in 
one  class  and  race  understand  the  motive  and  purposes  of  Christians 
in  other  classes  and  races.  By  its  educational  program  the  Church 
must  promote  a  mutual  understanding  which  will  make  the  breaking 
of  fellowship  impossible.  This  is  the  place  for  all  the  great  mis- 
sionary literature  which  is  being  so  splendidly  set  forth  by  the 
Departments  of  Missionary  Education. 

This  education  must  also  deal  with  the  ethical  problems  which 
face  the  modern  Christian.  There  will  be  courses  dealing  with 
special  phases  of  the  Christian  attitude  as  he  faces  the  conscience 
problems  of  the  present.     Among  such  courses  are  the  following: 

a.  Christianity  and    Economic   Problems.       Educational    Committee,    Federal 

Council.      11  Chapters.     For  discussion  groups.  Association  Press 

b.  The  Liquor  Problem.     Norman  E.  Richardson.     13  Lessons. 

Methodist  Book  Concern 

c.  Poverty  and  Wealth.     Harry  F.  Ward.     13  Lessons. 

Methodist  Book  Concern 

d.  The  Gospel  for  a  Working  World.     Harry  F.  Ward.     8  Chapters. 

Missionary  Education  Movement 

e.  Christian  Teachings  on  Social  and  Economic  Questions.     Clarence  E.  Robin- 

son.    20  Lessons.  Association  Press 

f.  Christianity  and  Amusement.     Richard  H.  Edwards.     8  Lessons. 

Association  Press 

g.  Men  and  Things.     Henry  A.  Atkinson.     12  Chapters. 

Missionary  Elucation  Movement. 

There  will  also  be  courses  dealing  with  the  Christian  com- 
munity in  its  modern  expression. 

a.  The  Redemption  of  the  City.     Charles  H.  Sears.     8  Chapters. 

Griffith  &  Rowland  Press 

b.  Evolution  of  a  Country  Community.     Warren  H.  Wilson.     14  Chapters. 

Pilgrim  Press 


40  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

c.  The  Church  and  the  Community.     R.  W.  Diffendorfer.     6  Chapters. 

Missionary  Education  Movement 

d.  Community  Programs  for  Cooperating  Churches.      Roy  B.  Guild. 

Federal  Council  of  Churches 

e.  Christianizing   Community   Life.     H.   F.   Ward   and   R.   H.    Edwards.     12 

Chapters.  Association  Press 

f.  The  City  and  Its  Social  Mission.     A.  M.  Trawick.     6  Chapters. 

Association  Press 

g.  The    Christian    and    the    Community.     Protestant-Episcopal    Studies.     38 

Lessons.  Morehouse  Publishing  Company 

h.  Christian  Life  in  the  Community.     A.  J.  W.  Myers.     9  Chapters. 

Association  Press 
i.    The  Church  a  Community  Force.     Worth  M.  Tippy.     12  Chapters. 

Missionary  Education  Movement 
j.    Serving  the  Neighborhood.     R.  A.  Felton.       Missionary  Education  Movement 


THE  TRAINING  OF  TEACHERS 

If  there  is  to  be  great  action,  there  must  be  great  learning.  If 
there  is  to  be  great  learning,  there  must  be  great  teaching.  This 
calls  for  the  preparation  of  teachers. 

The  need  of  developing  special  institutes  for  leaders  is  as  real 
as  the  need  for  the  development  of  officers'  training  camps  in  times 
of  military  mobilization.  Industrial  institutes  in  both  rural  and 
city  fields  should  be  promoted  by  the  church. 

A.  Institutes  for  rural  leaders.  For  a  number  of  years  the 
churches  have  been  promoting  successful  institutes  for  rural  leaders, 
sometimes  at  the  agricultural  colleges  and  other  schools,  and  often 
in  connection  with  some  church  conference  or  synod.  The  remark- 
able success  of  these  institutes  in  creating  an  ideal  for  a  new  social 
order  in  the  countty  districts  justifies  their  encouragement  in  every 
possible  way. 

B.  Institutes  for  industrial  leaders  in  the  city.  That  which 
has  proven  so  successful  in  the  country  should  be  duplicated  in  the 
city.  To  these  institutes  should  be  invited  representatives  of  both 
capital  and  labor,  as  well  as  the  ministers.  By  the  multiplication 
of  such  conferences,  a  mutual  understanding  between  all  parties 
concerned  may  be  promoted. 

C.  Young  people's  institutes  for  social  education.  Next  to 
the  training  of  special  leaders,  the  training  of  young  people  in  sum- 
mer institutes  along  lines  of  social  education  is  important.     This 


EDUCATING  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  BROTHERHOOD   41 

can  often  be  accomplished  in  connection  with  gatherings  at  which 
other  interests  are  also  promoted.  The  summer  conferences  of 
the  Christian  associations  and  the  various  educational  organiza- 
tions of  the  church  and  the  Missionary  Education  Movement  afford 
remarkable  opportunities  for  such  instruction. 

D.  Church  institutes.  One  of  the  most  effective  methods  by 
which  social  education  is  being  promoted  at  the  present  time  is 
through  the  special  institutes  held  over  a  series  of  weeks  in  some 
of  our  churches.  Lenten  institutes  held  on  Friday  evenings  during 
Lent,  when  the  church  people  gathered  together  for  an  evening  meal 
and  then  spent  the  evening  in  study  of  various  problems,  have 
proved  very  successful. 

Special  Opportunities  for  Social  Education — Special  Sundays 

The  use  of  the  Sunday  evening  service  for  community  worship 
and  for  social  education  has  proved  to  be  an  effective  means  for 
creating  social  sentiment.  The  Union  Sunday  evening  service 
generated  a  great  deal  of  the  sentiment  which  drove  the  saloon  out 
of  America.  The  readaptation  of  this  service  to  the  promotion  of 
other  causes  offered  large  possibilities.  In  some  communities,  a 
Union  Sunday  evening  service  is  turned  over  to  a  committee  which 
represents  the  community  and  with  all  the  churches  co-operating, 
a  service  is  planned  to  further  the  community  life  in  whatever  way 
seems  best.  In  another  town  the  Sunday  evening  services  during 
the  summer  are  used  to  promote  various  common  causes  which 
are  important  from  the  standpoint  of  community  welfare.  The 
churches  thus  observe  Labor  Sunday,  Educational  Sunday,  Tem- 
perance Sunday,  Good  Health  Sunday,  and  the  various  patriotic 
causes  which  come  before  them.  There  is  much  to  be  said  for  such 
use  of  the  Sunday  evening  services  during  part  of  the  year. 

The  rapidly  developing  church  calendar,  which  is  filling  the 
church  year  with  Sundays  which  have  special  significance  for  a 
large  number  of  churches,  affords  a  remarkable  opportunity  for 
social  education.  Children's  Day  and  Mother's  Day  afford  oppor- 
tunity for  special  teaching  concerning  the  sacredness  of  home  life 
and  childhood.  The  various  patriotic  Sundays  are  opportunities 
which  have  long  been  used  by  the  church  for  a  social  message.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  develop  special  Sundays  for  social  education. 
It  is  necessary  to  make  the  largest  use  of  the  days  which  have  al- 
ready been  established. 


42  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

Discussion  Questions 

1.  How  can  a  church  educate  for  brotherhood? 

2.  What  is  the  place  of  worship  in  the  brotherhood  experiences  of  the  church? 

3.  How  can  the  colleges  help  in  the  education  for  brotherhood? 

4.  What  help  might  come  from  the  religious  press? 

5.  What  could  the  organized  group  in  the  church  do  to  promote  the  spirit  of 

brotherhood  in  the  church? 

6.  Is  the  educational  program  of  your  church  one  which  will  train  people  for 

citizenship  in  a  brotherly  social  order? 

7.  Study  section  B  in  Part  II  for  Methods  in  Education. 


Chapter  IV 

THE  CHURCH  AS  AN  ORGANIZER  OF 
BENEVOLENCE 

The  first  organization  of  the  early  church  grew  out  of  the 
necessity  of  greater  efficiency  in  ministering  to  the  physical  needs 
of  the  "  brethren."  At  the  time  of  this  organization  there  was  the 
distinct  recognition,  however,  that  this  ministration  for  the  physical 
needs  was  not  the  primary  task  of  the  church.  There  is  clearly  set 
forth  in  the  New  Testament  documents  the  idea  that  the  church  is 
primarily  a  fellowship.  The  giving,  however,  of  the  earthly  posses- 
sions of  the  members  of  this  fellowship  in  ministry  to  the  physical 
needs  of  others  is  recognized  as  a  distinct  obligation. 

There  is  also  recognized  in  the  early  church  an  obligation  to 
dedicate  the  material  wealth  of  the  church  to  the  extension  of  the 
gospel  message  among  men.  In  the  fulfilling  of  this  obligation  the 
churches  have  built  up  organizations  for  the  extension  of  the  gospel 
at  home  and  abroad.  The  Year  Book  of  Missions  of  the  Protestant 
Churches  gives  the  following  statistics,  relative  to  the  work  of  these 
American  Protestant  Churches  during  the  year  1920: 

Foreign  Missionary  Societies  27 

American  Missionaries       Men  3,664 

Women  4,602 

Native  Laborers  45,347 

Communicants  854,479 

Total  enrolled  in  schools  623,901 
Total  Income                                                         $21,890,878 

In  the  same  period  the  American  Protestant  Churches  expended 
approximately  ten  million  dollars  in  the  extension  of  their  work  at 
home. 


44 


SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 


The  Benevolent  Outreach  of  One  Church 

The  pastor  of  a  Greater  Boston  Church  furnishes  the  following 
annual  list  of  benevolent  objects  to  which  his  church  contributes: 


American  Board 

Home  Missionary  Society  (Nat'l) 
Mass.  Home  Missionary  Society 
Congregational  Education  Society 
Congregational  Church  Building 

Society 
American  Missionary  Association 
Congregational  Sunday  School  Exten- 
sion Society 
Board  of  Ministerial  Aid 
Congregational  Church  Union 
Boston  City  Missionary  Society 
Seaman's  Friend  Society 
Woman's  Seaman's  Friend  Society 
Federal  Council  of  Church  of  Christ  in 

America 
Mass.  Federation  of  Churches 
Greater  Boston  Federation  of  Churches 
North  Church  (Nonantum) 
Italian  Mission  (Nonantum) 
Pilgrim  Memorial  Fund 
American  Bible  Society 
Massachusetts  Bible  Society 
Newton  Hospital 
Newton  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Boston  Chinese  Mission 
Newton  Welfare  Bureau 
International  College  at  Springfield 
House  of  Good  Will  (East  Boston) 
Walker  Missionary  Home  (Auburndale) 
Pomeroy  Home  for  Orphans 
Newton  Home  for  Aged  People 


American  McCall  Association 

Starving  Children  of  Europe 

Federal  Council  of  Churches 
(Entertainment) 

International  Council  (Entertainment) 

Hampton  Institute  (Virginia) 

General  Theological  Library 

Evangelistic  Association  of  New  Eng- 
land Hospital  Visitation 

Daily  Vacation  Bible  School 

Church  Relief  Fund 

Vacation  Fund 

Florence  Crittendon  League  of  Com- 
passion 

Stearns  School  Settlement 

Newton  District  Nursing  Association 

Berea  College 

Springfield  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Training  School 

New  England  Home  for  Little  Wanderers 

Boston  Dispensary 

New  England  Peabody  Home 

Tuskegee  Institute 

Boston  Children's  Aid  Society 

Boston  North  End  Mission 

Y.  W.  C.  A. 

Interchurch  Campaign 

Northland  College 

American  Women's  Hospital 

Armenian  and  Syrian  Relief 

Serbian  Relief 

Straight  University 

Armenian  Relief 


Total  about  $40,000. 

The  list  is  stupendous.  Can  any  one  show  any  other  social 
group,  except  a  church,  which  year  in  and  year  out  has  a  comparable 
benevolent  outreach?  Its  giving  is  not  provincial  nor  narrowly 
denominational.  As  monuments  to  its  benevolent  outreach  there 
stand,  at  this  present  moment,  some  of  the  noblest  of  human  institu- 
tions. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  BENEVOLENCE       45 

Again,  this  list  of  causes  has  grown  up  naturally  and  is  not  of 
sporadic  growth,  nor  has  it  been  put  over  on  the  church  by  pro- 
moters skilled  in  the  exploitation  of  religious  groups.  Only  a 
possible  three  or  four  are  of  recent  origin.  The  others  represent 
the  "  old  line  "  enthusiasms  of  a  New  England  church. 

The  reaction  of  such  a  program  of  giving  on  the  social  temper 
of  a  church  will  always  be  helpful  if  the  people  give  with  intelligence 
and  discernment.  No  church  can  remain  narrow  in  its  social 
sympathy  and  interest  which  year  after  year  contributes  to  such  a 
wide  variety  of  interests.  The  social  conscience  of  the  American 
churches  has  been  enlarged  by  the  programs  of  missionary  giving. 
The  American  people  have  been  taught  to  think  helpfully  with 
reference  to  the  nations  of  the  world.  Our  international  attitude 
in  political  life  must  ultimately  bear  some  relationship  to  our  mis- 
sionary program. 

WHEN  BENEVOLENCE  DEFEATS  BROTHERHOOD 

Commendable  as  are  the  great  organized  benevolences  of  the 
church,  it  is  necessary  to  recognize  that  it  is  entirely  possible  for 
benevolence  to  defeat  the  brotherly  spirit.  The  church  is  not 
primarily  a  benevolent  institution.  "  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none, 
but  such  as  I  have,  give  I  unto  Thee,"  expresses  a  fundamental 
philosophy  which  will  always  be  true  for  the  church. 

The  church  is  primarily  a  fellowship,  and  it  is  a  corruption  of 
the  purpose  of  the  church  to  look  upon  any  local  church  as  an  organi- 
zation of  people  whose  primary  function  is  the  giving  of  money. 
The  promoter's  spirit  which  has  crept  into  some  of  our  American 
churches  and  with  high-powered  advertising  is  seeking  to  extort 
large  sums  of  money  for  denominational  purposes,  will  ultimately 
injure  the  cause  it  professes  to  advance. 

The  church  is  not  primarily  a  benevolent  institution,  and  the 
organization  of  modern  Protestantism  should  not  be  around  the 
promotion  boards  of  the  great  benevolent  societies.  These  societies 
cannot  give  the  highest  expression  to  the  organic  brotherly  life  of 
the  Christian  churches.  They  are  the  servants  of  the  churches  and 
should  be  kept  in  the  place  of  servants.  To  exalt  them  to  a  central 
place  means  the  corruption  of  Protestantism,  and  the  development 
of  a  new  officialdom  which  will  be  false  to  the  character  of  the 
church  as  a  brotherhood. 


46  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

The  Christian  Doctrine  of  Stewardship 

As  an  organizer  of  benevolence,  the  church  has  proclaimed  to 
the  people  a  Christian  doctrine  of  stewardship.  This  message  has 
not  always  been  wisely  proclaimed.  Sometimes  the  church  has  led 
people  to  believe  that  that  which  they  gave  to  the  church  was 
sacred,  and  that  which  they  gave  to  buy  food  and  clothing  for  their 
children  was  secular.  Sometimes  the  church  has  laid  an  undue 
emphasis  upon  the  giving  of  a  tenth  as  a  Biblical  standard.  The 
moral  implications  of  such  a  message  left  nine-tenths  of  a  man's 
income  still  secularized.  The  Christian  doctrine  of  stewardship 
calls  for  a  clear-cut  recognition  that  the  moral  right  to  all  wealth 
demands  righteousness  in  acquisition  and  the  principle  of  service 
in  its  use.  Stewardship  is  both  to  society  and  to  God.  The  right 
to  own  any  property  lies  in  social  justice,  and  in  a  man's  ability  to 
use  it  for  welfare  which  includes  both  his  neighbor  and  himself. 
The  Christian  statement  for  such  welfare  is  the  Kingdom  of  God  on 
earth.  Our  right  to  own  is  only  our  right  to  use  our  property  to 
advance  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  all  its  phases. 

"  Tainted  Money  " 

Benevolence  may  be  tainted  in  many  ways.  It  is  tainted  when 
it  injures  the  self-respect  and  the  self-reliance  of  the  person  to  whom 
it  is  given.  It  is  tainted  when  it  compromises  the  ideals  of  the 
organization  which  gives  it.  It  is.  tainted  when  it  creates  a  false 
sense  of  security  on  the  part  of  the  person  from  whom  the  church 
receives  it.  It  is  tainted  when  it  represents  a  fortune  accumulated 
at  the  expense  of  unnecessary  and  involuntary  suffering  ©n  the  part 
of  the  people  who  were  involved  in  its  accumulation.  These  ethical 
issues  the  church  must  face  as  the  solicitor  and  distributor  of 
benevolence. 

MINISTRATIONS  OF  MERCY 

The  churches  of  the  United  States  have  co-operated  with  non- 
church  charities,  and  have  at  the  same  time  given  support  to  many 
institutions  for  the  care  of  the  sick,  and  the  protection  of  children 
and  those  of  advanced  years. 

The  list  of  hospitals,  homes  for  the  aged,  and  homes  for  chil- 
dren in  the  United  States  under  denominational  control  is  im- 
pressive. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  BENEVOLENCE 


47 


Hos 

pitals 

Homes 

Homes 

for 

for 

Aged 

Children 

Adventist 

9 

.. 

Baptist 

27 

36 

42 

Brethren 

17 

Christian 

3 

11 

11 

Congregational 

2 

5 

3 

Disciples  of  Christ 

Evangelical 

24 

12 

8 

Friends 

2 

2 

5 

Lutheran 

4 

42 

67 

Mennonite 

9 

2 

4 

Methodist  Episcopal 

61 

32 

37 

Methodist  Episcopal  South 

7 

3 

28 

Pentecostal 

Presbyterian 

17 

15 

23 

United  Presbyterian 

5 

2 

1 

Reformed  Church  in  America 

4 

§   m 

Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States 

1 

,   . 

5 

United  Brethren 

1 

1 

Protestant  Episcopal 

88 

53 

85 

Others 

62 

51 

66 

Totals 


381 


288 


391 


The  Responsibility  of  the  Local  Church  for  its  Own  "  Poor  " 

The  local  church  should  be  rich  in  ministrations  of  mercy  to 
the  physical  needs  of  its  own  people.  It  should  be  the  duty  of  a 
responsible  committee  in  every  church  to  look  after  the  responsi- 
bilities of  the  church  along  this  line.  Strong  churches  should  have 
a  staff  of  Friendly  Visitors,  under  the  direction  of  a  deaconess  or 
trained  social  worker.  The  work  of  such  a  group  should  always 
be  done  with  the  purpose  of  stimulating  self-help  and  removing  the 
causes  of  dependence.  There  will  always  be  people  in  every  church 
for  whom  direct  ministrations  of  mercy  will  be  necessary.  Certain 
churches  provide  for  the  aged,  either  in  special  homes  maintained  by 
themselves  or  in  cooperation  with  larger  Protestant  institutions. 
Some  churches  maintain  hospital  beds  in  general  hospitals,  and 
some  of  the  larger  denominations  are  able  to  provide  their  own 
hospitals.     A  number  of  the  churches  have  church  loan  funds,  and 


48  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

some  go  as  far  as  to  provide  a  sick  benefit  fund  inside  of  some  of 
the  organizations  in  the  church.  When  churches  undertake  such 
work  it  is  vitally  important  that  they  use  scientific  methods,  that 
whatever  they  do  is  sustained  and  equal  to  the  need,  and  that  they 
keep  close  relations  with  the  great  social  agencies  of  the  community, 
especially  with  charity  organization.  To  work  intermittently  with 
families,  or  unscientifically,  is  worse  than  to  do  nothing.  Churches 
should  either  do  thorough  work  or  turn  it  over  to  community 
agencies. 

Not  all  churches  can  carry  forward  large  programs  of  social 
ministry  for  those  who  are  in  special  need  of  mercy.  A  cooperating 
Protestantism  will  help  churches  with  many  dependents,  and  may 
designate  certain  churches  and  equip  them  especially  for  this  task. 
We  give  here  the  program  of  such  a  church,  through  which  a  number 
of  denominations  minister  in  one  of  our  large  cities. 


Type  of  Church  —  Urban-Down-Town 

Distinctive  Features: 

Religious  Work.  All  denominations  represented  in  its  Board  of  Trustees  and  in 
its  working  force.  Also  in  its  membership.  Six  on  the  ministerial  staff  of 
whom  four  give  only  part  time  to  this  branch  of  the  work.  In  addition  there 
is  an  Italian  pastor,  a  Syrian  pastor,  a  Portuguese  pastor,  a  Jewish  pastor 
and  a  colored  pastor.  Of  the  membership,  19  are  Italians,  10  Portuguese, 
10  Syrians,  1  Russian,  2  Greeks,  4  Germans,  4  Swedes  and  56  Colored.  The 
parish  of  the  church  is  estimated  of  24,000  of  whom  12,000  are  foreign  speak- 
ing. Five  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  calls  were  made  during  the 
year  in  about  1,000  homes  of  the  community.  An  interdenominational  staff 
of  ministers  has  been  organized  which  includes  the  following: 
Baptist,  Congregational,  Protestant  Episcopal,  Methodist  Episcopal, 
Presbyterian,  Swedenborgian,  Unitarian  and  Universalist. 

Day  Nursery  (10  cents  a  day)  and  Kindergarten  for  the  children. 

Educational  Program.  School  of  music  (teach  organ,  piano,  vocal  harmony, 
mandolin,  banjo  and  the  cornet,  20  cents  a  lesson  in  classes  of  four.  50  cents 
a  private  lesson). 

Industrial  School :  English  courses;  evening  courses  in  religious  education. 
Work  graded  —  primary,  junior,  intermediate,  senior  and  adult. 

Fresh  Air  Camps  and  Vacation  School.  For  the  camps,  have  a  farm.  Every 
year  they  care  for  about  40  babies,  60  boys  and  girls,  and  30  men  and  women. 
There  is  also  a  rug  factory  there  where  men  and  women  can  work. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  BENEVOLENCE       49 

Industrial  Work.  Cooperative  industries  and  stores,  incorporated.  Buildings 
cost  $450,000  —  no  debt.  Plan:  Bags  are  sent  to  families  over  the  city  to 
be  filled  with  clothing,  shoes,  furniture  and  every  other  known  article  which 
is  no  longer  needed.  There  are  75,000  such  contributors  now.  The  con- 
tributions are  sorted,  fumigated,  and  either  repaired  or  sold.  The  work 
involved  gives  jobs  to  many  needy,  while  the  income  from  the  sales  furnishes 
their  wages. 

Settlement  Work.  For  human  reconstruction — the  "  down  and  outs."  Plan:  A 
man  comes  to  the  Mission  Hall  or  is  sent  to  the  office  from  the  Prison  Parole 
Board  or  some  other  social  agency.  He  hears  a  gospel  message  and  after 
the  service  he  approaches  the  Social  Secretary  and  asks  for  help.  Before  he 
goes  to  bed  he  is  asked  to  take  a  bath  and  see  the  doctor.  If  the  doctor  finds 
no  reason  for  sending  him  to  a  hospital,  he  is  given  a  night  shirt  and  a  bed. 
In  the  morning  he  finds  his  clothes  pressed,  —  Breakfast,  —  Morning 
Prayers,  —  up  to  this  time  he  is  a  guest,  hence  no  charge  is  made.  All  the 
men  must  work.  The  Secretary  directs  him  to  the  Industrial  Buildings,  and 
the  supervisor  there  seeks  to  place  him  where  he  can  best  serve  and  develop. 
His  work  is  checked  up  each  day,  and  soon  it  is  found  if  he  is  rightly  placed. 
There  are  three  grades  of  men  —  Juniors,  Middlers  and  Seniors.  Man 
remains  a  Junior  about  one  month.  All  the  men  are  given  a  mental  examina- 
tion. 

Welfare  Bureau.  The  Central  Agency  to  correlate  and  unify  all  departments  of 
the  institution.  Through  this  office  there  is  also  contact  with  other  social 
agencies  of  the  city  and  state,  through  the  Confidential  Exchange  of  the 
Associated  Charities.  Representatives  of  the  different  departments  meet 
together  once  a  week  in  the  Welfare  Conference  to  secure  united  action  in 
solving  problems. 

Employment  Bureau.  In  charge  of  a  graduate  of  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  of 
Boston  University,  who  has  also  had  three  years'  experience  with  the  Asso- 
ciated Charities. 

Gymnasium  and  organized  play. 

Protestant  Responsibility  for  Protestant  Poor 

As  Protestant  organization  becomes  more  definite  and  more 
self-conscious  in  the  large  cities,  it  would  be  well  if  the  Protestant 
charities  could  federate  in  order  to  look  after  their  own  responsi- 
bilities among  the  poor,  and  in  order  to  cooperate  more  definitely 
with  the  general  relief  work  of  the  whole  city.  Such  work  is  now 
carried  on  to  a  very  large  extent  by  Protestant  churches,  but  it  is 
not  so  definitely  organized  as  in  the  Jewish  and  Catholic  charities. 
The  church  can  furnish  a  religious  purpose  which  is  necessary  in 
the  reclamation  of  any  individual,  and  though  it  may  not  always  be 


5o  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

able  to  furnish  the  material  help  which  is  necessary,  it  can  con- 
tribute much  which  the  civic  charities  will  find  essential  to  their 
complete  work.  This  subject  is  further  discussed  in  the  chapter 
on  The  Church  and  Its  Immediate  Geographical  Community. 

Cooperation  with  Civic  Relief  Agencies 

It  is  a  first  charge  upon  the  Protestant  Churches  to  cooperate 
in  every  way  with  the  civic  organizations  which  are  engaged  in 
relief  work. 

Discussion  Questions 

1.  What  is  the  relationship  of  giving  of  money  to  Christian  fellowship? 

2.  What  is  the  most  important  gift  in  the  possession  of  the  church? 

3.  How  may  "  giving  to  missions  "  build  the  social  conscience  of  the  church? 

4.  What  is  your  church  doing  in  ministrations  of  mercy  to  the  poor  in  the  com- 

munity? 

5.  Do  you  think  that  Protestant  churches  should  look  after  their  own  poor? 

6.  What  should  be  the    relationship    between    your    church    and    the    public 

charities  of  your  community? 


Chapter  V 

THE  AUTHORITY  OF  A  CHURCH  IN  A  FREE 

SOCIETY 

We  have  been  considering  the  functions  of  the  church  and  the 
contribution  which  each  makes  to  the  fullness  of  Christian  brother- 
hood. We  have  dealt  with  relationships  inside  of  church  circles. 
We  must  now  discuss  the  extension  of  brotherhood  in  a  free  society. 
The  modern  church  must  face  the  problem  of  being  influential  in  a 
society  in  which  it  has  lost  the  right  to  exercise  anything  but  moral 
and  spiritual  authority.  A  free  church  in  a  free  society  means  that 
most  of  the  great  social  organizations  have  evolved  by  a  necessary 
differentiation  of  function,  through  which  the  community  as  a 
whole  can  really  attempt  to  meet  its  great  and  varied  needs.  They 
have  become  of  necessity  independent  of  the  church,  although  in 
sympathy  with  it.  It  is  also  true  that  the  modern  church  has  freed 
itself  from  the  state,  and  exercises  a  like  freedom  from  any  kind  of 
political  domination.  In  the  Middle  Ages,  the  Catholic  Church 
claimed  and  exercised  the  right  to  compel  all  organizations  to  de- 
velop inside  the  church.  The  relation  between  the  church  and 
social  organizations  was  a  simple  one.  The  church  manipulated 
and  controlled  the  social  order.  It  cannot  be  said  that  the  Puritans 
solved  the  problem  of  a  free  church  in  a  free  community.  The 
American  churches  did  not  achieve  freedom  until  the  multiplication 
of  denominations  stimulated  all  the  churches  to  accept  the  status 
of  absolute  separation  between  the  church  and  state.  But  whereas 
this  status  was  necessary  from  the  standpoint  of  the  church  and 
other  social  organizations,  it  does  not  solve  the  problem  which 
must  ever  arise  so  long  as  the  church  feels  a  sense  of  responsibility 
for  the  social  order.  The  church  cannot  control  society;  society 
cannot  control  the  church.  The  church  cannot  ignore  the  social 
order;  the  social  order  cannot  ignore  the  church.  The  two  must 
work  together. 


52  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

What  the  Church  Can  Contribute  to  a  Social  Group 

An  individual  gains  in  character  when  he  imposes  ethical 
standards  upon  himself.  The  case  is  not  different  in  the  various 
social  organizations.  The  doctor's  profession  gains  in  nobility 
because  of  the  ethical  standards  which  the  profession  has  imposed 
upon  itself.  The  church  can  well  afford  to  give  up  an  authoritative 
relationship  to  any  social  group  if  it  can  see  that  group  imposing 
upon  itself  the  ethical  standards  for  which  the  church  stands.  It  is 
far  better,  from  the  standpoint  of  a  stable  social  order,  to  see  a  group 
of  business  men  taking  for  their  motto :  "  He  profits  best  who  serves 
best,"  than  to  have  these  men  dependent  upon  the  edicts  of  the 
church  for  their  social  control.  The  development  of  national 
consciousness  to  the  high  degree  to  which  it  has  recently  been  de- 
veloped will  not  be  a  misfortune  if  this  national  consciousness  directs 
itself  to  the  task  of  developing  national  codes  of  honor  which  are 
Christian.  The  rising  tide  of  class  consciousness  in  the  laborer 
and  the  farmer  will  work  out  for  good  if  class  consciousness  can  be 
tempered  by  Christian  consciousness,  that  is,  by  the  consciousness 
of  the  larger  brotherhood.  If  the  church  can  by  leadership,  by  the 
proclaiming  of  moral  ideals,  and  by  the  contagion  of  its  own  high 
spirit,  influence  these  organizations  to  impose  on  themselves  Chris- 
tian standards  and  at  the  same  time  leave  them  free,  we  will  have 
realized  the  ideal  of  a  free  church  in  a  free  society. 

The  Technique  of  Cooperation 

The  modern  church  has  not  been  unmindful  of  this  problem, 
and  is  struggling  with  the  technique  of  cooperation  among  free 
churches,  free  social  organizations,  and  institutions  of  government. 
We  see  a  good  illustration  of  this  in  the  multiplication  of  auxiliary 
organizations  which  serve  to  relate  the  church  to  special  problems 
while  at  the  same  time  leaving  the  organic  church  free.  We  have, 
for  instance,  in  the  Community  Club,  an  organization  largely  made 
up  of  church  members  who  are  banded  together  to  promote  com- 
munity welfare,  and  to  carry  the  ideals  of  the  church  in  the  com- 
munity life  without  bringing  in  the  complicating  problems  which 
would  arise  if  the  church,  as  church,  tried  to  do  this  work.  We  see 
in  the  non-partisan  Good  Government  Leagues  and  in  the  Anti- 
saloon  League  examples  of  a  special  organization  developed,  to  a 
large  extent,  by  church  members  who  are  dealing  with  political 
questions.     The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  Young 


THE  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  CHURCH      53 

Women's  Christian  Association  are  organizations  which  are  relating 
the  church  to  certain  community  problems  in  a  very  effective  way. 
In  the  organization  of  the  Gideons  we  have  a  group  of  men  who 
are  seeking  to  standardize  the  ethical  codes  of  a  business  group  in 
accordance  with  Christian  principles.  Thus,  the  modern  church  is 
working  at  the  task  of  being  influential  in  a  social  order  which  it 
does  not  desire  to  manipulate,  but  for  which  it  feels  a  moral  responsi- 
bility. In  the  succeeding  chapters  we  shall  discuss  principles  and 
methods  by  which  the  church  is  trying  to  cooperate  with  such 
institutions  as  the  home,  the  labor  union,  the  farmers'  organizations, 
and  the  community  at  large.  In  every  case,  the  church  must  main- 
tain its  own  freedom,  and  realize  that  society  can  be  saved  only 
when  its  various  social  groups  impose  upon  themselves  the  stand- 
ards of  service,  and  work  together. 

The  Educational  Method 

In  proportion  as  the  church  loses  its  power  to  dictate,  it  must 
enlarge  its  power  to  educate.  Democracy  will  give  large  freedom 
to  the  militant  group  which  seeks  to  live  by  the  educational  method. 
This  education  must  not  be  satisfied  with  the  education  of  a  few. 
It  must  project  itself  until  it  leavens  the  mass  mind.  It  is  no  easy 
task  for  the  church  to  seek  to  educate  the  masses  of  the  people, 
but  that  is  its  task.  The  great  channels  of  publicity  which  reach 
to  every  part  of  the  country  must  carry  its  message.  It  must  make 
better  use  of  its  own  publicity  channels.  It  must  organize  its 
study  groups  and  its  discussion  groups,  its  forums  and  its  public 
assemblies.  For  only  by  so  doing  can  it  have  discharged  its  obliga- 
tion to  Christianize  the  public  opinion  of  America,  which  is,  after 
all,  the  ultimate  source  of  American  law  and  order. 

Discussion  Questions 

1.  What  conditions  are  imposed  upon  all  the  social  work  of  the  church  because  of 

separation  of  Church  and  State? 

2.  What  other  social  groups  are  no  longer  under  the  control  of  the  church? 

3.  What  methods  must  the  church  use  if  it  is  to  be  influential  in  a  free  society? 

4.  What  modern  illustrations  of  such  methods  can  you  suggest? 

5.  Do  you  believe  that  the  church  should  take  part  in  political  life? 


Chapter  VI 
THE  CHURCH  ALLIED  WITH  THE  HOME 

The  original  brotherhood  ideals  of  our  religion  came  through 
contact  with  the  home.  It  was  out  of  a  tragic  home  experience 
that  Hosea  gained  the  thought  of  God's  redemptive  purpose  for 
Israel.  The  prophets,  in  seeking  to  create  a  new  mind  for  a  new 
age  in  Israel,  portrayed  a  divine  economy  which  had  a  family  ex- 
perience at  its  center.  The  early  church  exalted  motherhood,  and 
thus  protected  parenthood  in  the  thoughts  of  the  people.  Jesus 
placed  the  seal  of  approval  on  home  life  and  chose  home  symbolism 
in  setting  forth  the  character  of  God.  Far  back  in  history  our 
religion  formed  a  working  alliance  with  the  home,  and  the  test  of  a 
socially  minded  church  is  still  found  in  its  ability  to  continue  and 
perfect  that  relationship. 

There  are  those  who  would  make  the  home  the  basic  and 
primary  institution  and  the  church  auxiliary.  Such  people  are 
laying  the  basis  for  hereditary  caste.  They  are  footless  when  they 
are  face-to-face  with  the  racial  antipathies  of  men.  The  Christian 
fellowship  can  exist  where  marriage  is  absolutely  impossible. 

The  Christian  Attitude  Toward  Marriage 

The  church  does  not  believe  that  every  one  should  enter  into 
the  marriage  relation.  Neither  does  it  believe  that  this  relation- 
ship is  necessary  to  membership  in  the  Christian  fellowship.  Paul 
distinctly  recognized  this  principle.  Under  normal  conditions, 
many  will  not  marry,  and  under  the  abnormal  conditions  produced 
by  the  recent  war,  millions  will  not  have  the  chance.  The  church 
recognizes  that  participation  in  the  marriage  relationship  does 
offer,  however,  one  opportunity  to  realize  the  Christian  vocation 
in  terms  of  human  service,  but  it  is  the  Christian  view  that  marriage 
belongs  to  the  temporal  world  and  that  long  after  men  have  ceased 
to  marry  and  give  in  marriage  the  Christian  fellowship  will  endure, 
for  it  is  eternal. 


THE   CHURCH  ALLIED  WITH  THE  HOME  55 

American  Home  Life  at  the  Present  Time 

The  Christian  ideal  for  home  life  calls  for  the  loyal  association 
of  free  personalities  who  are  held  together,  not  by  force  and  the 
compulsion  of  law,  but  by  mutual  devotedness  to  a  lofty  social  ideal. 
It  is  in  accordance  with  this  principle  that  American  custom  grants 
to  young  people  a  larger  freedom  of  choice  and  freedom  of  associa- 
tion in  courtship  than  is  known  in  any  other  part  of  the  world. 
That  this  freedom,  however,  is  not  always  intelligently  used,  is 
borne  out  by  the  fact  that  America,  at  the  present  time,  leads  the 
world  in  the  number  of  divorces  in  comparison  with  the  number  of 
marriages.  No  other  country,  not  even  Japan,  has  as  many  broken 
homes  as  America.  The  following  government  statistics  issued  in 
1916  tell  something  of  our  present  conditions: 

"  The  United  States,  as  a  whole,  had  a  divorce  rate  per  100,000 
population  of  112  for  1916,  as  compared  with  a  rate  of  84  for  1906, 
73  for  1900,  and  53  for  1890.  The  rate  for  1880,  as  shown  by  the 
report  of  the  former  investigation,  was  39,  and  that  for  1870  was  28. 

"  For  each  geographic  division  and  for  all  but  the  District  of 
Columbia  and  seven  states  —  Colorado,  South  Dakota,  West 
Virginia,  Maine,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  and  North  Dakota  —  the 
rate  for  1916  was  higher  than  that  for  1906,  but  in  all  of  these 
states,  except  Maine,  North  Dakota,  and  the  District  of  Columbia, 
the  rate  for  1906  was  higher  than  that  for  1900." 

Reasons  for  the  Alliance  of  the  Church  and  the  Home 

There  are  five  good  and  sufficient  reasons  why  the  church 
should  look  upon  the  home  as  its  greatest  social  opportunity. 

The  first  reason  grows  out  of  the  strategic  place  which  the 
home  occupies  in  human  society.  Every  child  approaches  social 
living  by  the  pathway  of  the  society  of  the  family.  The  stamp  of 
the  home  is  indelible. 

The  second  reason  grows  out  of  what  the  church  can  contribute 
to  the  home.  Home  life  is  guaranteed,  not  by  perfection  of  material 
equipment  but  by  mutual  devotedness  to  high  ideals,  and  by  habits 
of  living  which  make  possible  close  association  of  people  without 
continued  friction. 

The  third  reason  lies  in  the  contribution  which  the  home  can 
make  to  religion.  Any  appreciation  of  the  fatherhood  of  God  and 
brotherhood  of  man  will  come  directly  out  of  home  life.  The 
meaning  of  the  word  fatherhood  comes  first  to  the  life  of  the  child 


56  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

when  he  experiences  the  love  of  a  good  father.  This  experience  is 
deepened  still  further  when,  in  the  home,  he  becomes  a  father. 

The  fourth  reason  is  found  in  the  ethical  possibilities  of  the 
home  spirit.  A  home  has  a  group  spirit.  It  has  character.  It  has 
a  purpose.  It  has  an  atmosphere.  When  the  Christian  spirit  takes 
up  its  abode  in  the  home,  society  has  gone  a  long  way  on  the  road 
to  becoming  Christian. 

The  fifth  reason  for  the  alliance  between  the  church  and  the 
home  is  found  in  the  possibilities  of  the  home  as  a'  training  school 
for  citizenship  and  social  living.  Society  is  saved  by  the  extension 
of  successful  experience  in  associated  living.  By  the  projection 
into  human  society  of  the  home  ethics  of  mutual  service,  care  for 
the  young,  democratic  government,  and  brotherhood,  we  can  con- 
tribute to  its  perfection. 

In  its  service  to  the  home,  the  ministry  of  the  church  is  divided 
into  three  types.  We  should  consider,  first,  that  which  the  church 
can  do  in  the  organization  of  its  own  services  of  worship  and  educa- 
tion; second,  the  ministry  which  it  can  render  inside  the  home; 
and  third,  the  ministry  in  the  community  which  will  assist  in  build- 
ing and  protecting  the  home. 


SERVICE  TO  THE  HOME  INSIDE  THE  CHURCH 

The  Family  Pew 

The  family  pew  in  the  Protestant  church  represents  a  historic 
recognition  which  the  church  has  given  to  the  integrity  of  the  home 
as  a  social  unit  in  the  church  service.  Although  we  are  passing 
from  the  period  when  the  church  rents  or  sells  its  pews,  there  is  a 
distinct  value  in  the  attendance  of  the  family  as  a  unit  at  the  church 
service,  and  it  can  easily  be  arranged  by  a  proper  system  of  usher- 
ing, even  when  pews  are  free. 

The  Sacrament  of  Baptism 

In  the  baptism  of  children,  many  of  the  Protestant  Churches 
see  a  consecration  service  which  recognizes  the  child's  relation  to 
the  divine  Father,  and  honors  parenthood  in  its  cooperative  rela- 
tionships with  the  church  in  the  training  of  the  child.  The  value 
of  this  is  to  be  recognized  and  the  service  honored  because  of  its 
social  message. 


THE   CHURCH  ALLIED  WITH  THE  HOME  57 

Children's  Sunday 

In  the  institution  of  Children's  Sunday  the  church  has  an 
opportunity  to  honor  childhood  in  a  special  way,  and  to  magnify 
in  the  minds  of  the  people  the  sacredness  of  childhood  and  that 
institution  from  which  the  children  come. 

Fathers  and  Sons  Banquet 

The  Fathers  and  Sons  banquet  which  many  churches  have  re- 
cently provided  gives  splendid  recognition  to  responsibility  of  the 
fathers  for  their  sons,  and  affords  also  an  opportunity  to  increase 
the  loyalty  of  the  boy  to  the  father  and  to  the  church. 

Mother's  Day 

The  churches  are  recognizing  in  Mother's  Day  a  chance  to 
exalt  motherhood  and  to  pay  a  tribute  to  one  who  makes  home  life 
possible.  The  day  has  a  most  distinct  social  message  and  should 
be  so  used  by  the  churches. 

Education  for  Home  Building  in  the  Church 

The  best  preparation  for  home  building  which  the  church  gives 
is  the  general  preparation  whereby  the  church  exalts  those  ideals 
and  virtues  which  make  successful  home  builders.  But  there  is  a 
special  type  of  education  which  the  church  can  give,  in  classes  which 
prepare  young  men  and  women  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  home  life. 

Many  churches  have  successfully  provided  mothers'  clubs 
where  the  problem  of  home  building  is  discussed  by  those  who  are 
deep  in  its  responsibilities.  Similar  discussions  are  often  taken  up 
by  men's  organizations  in  the  church. 

The  Church  as  a  Social  Center  for  Future  Home  Builders 

The  social  life  of  the  church  has  made  possible  the  meeting  of 
innumerable  young  people  where  acquaintance  has  ripened  into 
love  and  love  into  marriage.  This  is  a  legitimate  service  to  be 
planned  for  and  encouraged  in  the  church  life.  It  guarantees  the 
mating  of  people  of  religious  ideals  and  ethical  purposes. 


58  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 


SERVICES  WHICH  THE  CHURCH  CAN  RENDER    INSIDE  THE  HOME 

Many  of  the  services  which  the  church  can  render  have  as 
their  purpose  the  Christianizing  of  the  home  spirit  and  are  to  be 
rendered  inside  the  home  itself. 

The  Marriage  Ceremony 

The  great  opportunity  of  the  church  to  exalt  the  home  is,  of 
course,  in  the  marriage  ceremony.  This  should  be  for  the  minister 
a  most  solemn  and  sacred  privilege.  In  every  way  in  which  he 
can  cooperate,  either  by  instruction,  by  advice,  or  by  inspiration,  he 
should  magnify  his  social  opportunity  at  this  time.  Many  a  pastor 
has  made  use  of  special  literature  which  has  been  very  acceptable 
to  both  bride  and  groom  in  helping  them  to  enter  the  joys  and 
responsibilities  of  home  life. 

Family  Worship 

Nothing  binds  a  home  together  and  guarantees  its  Christian 
quality  quite  like  family  worship.  The  church  should  encourage 
the  family  altar,  both  by  urging  it  upon  the  people  and  by  the  sug- 
gestion of  proper  methods. 

Grace  at  Meals 

The  family  meal  is  lifted  into  the  realm  of  the  sacramental  by 
many  social  courtesies  which  gather  about  this  occasion.  Most 
important  among  ceremonies  is  the  custom  of  returning  thanks  to 
the  heavenly  Father  for  his  goodness  in  making  possible  this 
occasion. 

Parish  Visiting 

In  the  parish  visiting  of  the  pastor  and  the  friendly  visitors  of 
the  church,  official  and  non-official,  there  is  recognition  of  the  home 
which  is  very  important.  The  purpose  of  such  visiting  is  not  ex- 
hausted in  a  ministry  to  individuals.  Its  value  lies  in  the  seeking 
out  and  in  the  recognition  of  the  home  as  a  social  group,  which  is  of 
great  importance  from  the  standpoint  of  the  church.  The  best 
parish  visiting  extends  intimate  pastoral  care  to  the  entire  family, 
very  much,  in  spiritual  matters,  like  the  work  of  the  friendly  visitor 
to  a  household. 


THE  CHURCH  ALLIED  WITH  THE  HOME  59 

COMMUNITY  ACTIVITIES  BY  WHICH  THE  CHURCH  CAN  HELP 
BUILD  THE  HOME 

There  are  many  community  activities  in  which  the  church  can 
legitimately  engage  which   have   as   their   ultimate   purpose   the 
protection  of  the  home  life  in  which  the  church  is  interested. 
Good  Housing 

The  church  should  be  interested,  from  the  point  of  view  of 
public  responsibility,  in  the  way  the  people  live,  in  where  they  live, 
in  the  type  of  houses  in  which  they  live,  and  in  all  the  laws  and 
regulations  which  help  or  hinder  the  housing  of  the  people. 
Health  Laws 

Public  health  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  the  community,  so  far 
as  quarantine  regulation  and  the  stamping  out  of  disease  is  con- 
cerned. Just  because  the  church  is  interested  in  home  life,  it  should 
cooperate  to  the  limit  in  all  attempts  to  make  the  community  a 
healthful  place  in  which  to  live. 
Law  Enforcement 

The  enforcement  of  laws  against  gambling,  sexual  immorality, 
intemperance,  should  enlist  the  cooperation  of  the  church,  since  it 
sees  in  such  law  enforcement  the  re-enforcement  of  its  doctrine 
concerning  the  sacredness  and  importance  of  the  home. 
Exaltation  of  the  Home 

Above  all,  in  its  teaching  from  pulpit  and  in  Sunday  School, 
the  church  should  exalt  the  beauty  and  sacredness  of  the  home. 
Modern  social  life  tends  powerfully  to  draw  its  members  away  to 
social  dancing,  motion  pictures,  and  all  kinds  of  recreational  features 
outside  the  home.  These  features  are  necessary  because  modern 
conditions  under  which  the  people  live,  and  necessary  in  them- 
selves and  this  volume  has  advocated  the  development  of  the  church 
as  a  social  and  recreational  center;  but  at  the  same  time  the  home 
must  be  reinforced,  made  beautiful  and  attractive  to  young  people, 
and  laid  upon  all  as  a  divine  institution  to  be  loved  and  fostered  by 
children  and  parents  alike. 

Discussion  Questions 

1.  Why  is  the  home  the  greatest  social  opportunity  of  the  church? 

2.  What  is  the  Christian  ideal  for  a  home? 

3.  How  may  the  church  service  help  home  life? 

4.  Do  you  think  American  churches  should  educate  young  people  for  home  life? 

5.  What  community  conditions  should  be  of  interest  to  the  church  because  of  their 

influence  on  home  life? 


Chapter  VII 

THE  CHURCH  AND  MEN  IN  THEIR 
OCCUPATIONS 

Every  church  ought  to  know  the  people  for  whom  it  is  respon- 
sible and  how  the  people  live.  This  includes  not  only  the  adequacy 
of  their  living  conditions,  but  the  character  of  the  work  which  they 
do.  What  men  think  about  is  very  largely  determined  by  the  con- 
ditions under  which  they  make  their  living.  What  they  are  is 
determined  by  what  they  think.  The  church  should  know  "  what's 
on  the  worker's  mind  "  in  every  field,  for  it  is  with  this  "  psy- 
chology "  that  it  must  deal. 

The  Vocational  Classification  of  People 

The  principle  of  classification  has  been  greatly  elaborated  in  the 
adaptation  of  the  work  of  the  church  to  "  natural  age  groups." 
The  boundaries  of  these  groups  were  certain  "  epochal  changes  " 
in  the  life  of  the  person  as  he  progressed  from  childhood  to  adult 
life.  Only  recently  have  we  discovered  the  necessity  of  another 
type  of  adaptation,  almost  as  important  as  that  upon  which  we 
have  been  laying  emphasis.  The  individual  is  shaped  and  moulded 
by  the  major  activities  of  his  life,  and  especially  by  the  way  in  which 
he  makes  his  living. 

This  does  not  mean,  however,  that  his  spiritual  conscience 
roots  in  the  economic.  The  economic  for  some  is  primary  and  the 
spiritual,  auxiliary.  Such  people  are  helpless  in  the  face  of  class 
consciousness.  For  them  there  can  be  no  tempering  of  class  con- 
sciousness. There  is  no  reality  which  can  stand  over  against  the 
warring  classes  and  speak  the  word  which  can  still  the  tempest. 
Out  of  a  world  of  personality  and  personal  relationships  there 
can,  however,  come  a  voice  which  can  be  authoritative  for  the  world 
of  economics. 


MEN  IN  THEIR  OCCUPATIONS 


61 


Dr.  T.  N.  Carver  gives  the  following  chart  of  the  "Ways  of 
Getting  a  Living  ": 

fWar 
Piracy 
Plunder 
1.  Destructive  J  Swindling 

Counterfeiting 


1.  Uneconomical  { 


Adulteration  of  goods 
Monopolizing 


WAYS  OF 
GETTING  A   i 
LIVING 


i  Marrying  Wealth 
|  Inheriting  Wealth 
2.  Neutral         \  Benefiting  through 
a  rise  in  land 
values 

(■Farming 
I  Mining 
1.  Primary  Industries  -{Hunting 

Fishing 
^•Lumbering 


2.  Economical 


2.  Secondary  Industries 


3.  Personal  or  Professional 
Service 


Manufacturing 
Transporting 
Storing 
Merchandising 


Healing 
Teaching 
Inspiring 
Governing 
Amusing 
I  Etc. 


The  Ethical  Significance  of  the  Way  Men  Get  Their  Living 

The  church  cannot  neglect  the  ethical  significance  of  the  way 
its  members  get  their  living.  Not  all  labor  is  to  be  commended. 
Some  labor  is  destructive  and  adds  to  the  burden  which  society 
carries.  Some  is  neutral  and  does  not  justify  the  worker  in  a  true 
self-respect.  Productive  labor  is  honorable,  whether  it  be  labor  of 
the  hand,  as  in  farming  and  mining,  or  the  intellectual  service  ren- 


62  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

dered  by  the  teacher  or  minister.  The  Christian  should  be  engaged 
only  in  productive  labor. 

The  church  is  interested  in  developing  a  friendship  between 
man  and  man.  It  cannot  close  its  eyes  to  the  hatreds  which  come 
out  of  modern  industry.  It  finds  its  brotherhood  programs 
defeated  at  every  hand  by  the  clash  of  class  against  class. 

The  church  urges  upon  its  members  to  give  faithful  labor.  It 
cannot  be  blind  to  the  fact  that  modern  industry  is  often  so  organ- 
ized as  to  put  a  premium  on  dishonesty  and  the  slacker  spirit. 

The  Manifold  Economic  Adaptations  of  a  Single  Church 

Very  few  churches  minister  to  a  single  unified  group  of  people. 
This  is  fortunate  from  the  view  point  of  democracy.  In  a  church 
in  a  university  town,  there  will  generally  be  four  distinct  groups  of 
people.  There  will  be  the  student  group,  the  faculty,  the  local 
tradesmen,  and  the  people  who  have  made  the  university  town  a 
"  residential  center."  In  a  resort  community  there  will  be  the 
transient  seeker  of  rest  and  pleasure,  and  the  people  who  minister 
to  them.  The  following  analysis  has  recently  been  made  of  the 
vocational  distribution  of  the  membership  of  the  churches  in  two  of 
our  large  cities. 

City  No.  1 

Total  number  of  churches 38 

Total  membership 21,915 

Percentage  of  membership,  male 40 

Average  membership 586 

Analysis  of  Adult  Male  Membership: 

Classification  Per  Cent,  of  Total 

Professional  men 9.5 

Capitalists  and  large  employers 6.5 

Small  business  men 7.0 

Wage-earners,  total 77.0 

Wage-earners,  clerical 32.0 

Wage-earners,  total  manual 45.0 

Skilled  mechanics 28.0 

Unskilled  labor 17.0 


MEN  IN  THEIR  OCCUPATIONS  63 

City  No.  2 

47  per  cent,  of  the  adult  church-members  are  men. 

81  per  cent,  of  the  men  church-members  are  wage-earners,  as 

follows : 

Unskilled  manual  workers 25  per  cent. 

Skilled  manual  workers 28  per  cent. 

Clerical  workers  (including  office  and  store  clerks, 

salesmen,  agents,  etc.) 28  per  cent. 

The  farmer  is  more  and  more  moving  his  church  membership 
to  the  village  church.  Very  few  churches  can  escape  the  necessity 
of  taking  account  of  several  different  vocational  groupings  in  their 
membership. 

Social  Adaptation  Does  Not  Mean  a  Class  Church 

The  adaptation  of  a  church  to  the  different  social  groups  does 
not  mean  that  the  church  needs  to  become  a  class  church.  The 
church  should  struggle  against  such  a  condition  just  as  vigorously 
as  it  should  seek  to  become  all  things  to  all  men,  if  by  any  means 
it  may  save  some.  Whatever  adaptation  to  the  social  and  eco- 
nomic conditions  of  its  people  the  church  should  make,  it  must  be 
guided  always  with  the  ultimate  determination  to  lift  its  people 
above  the  plane  of  their  natural  life  conditions  into  the  general 
brotherhood.  Christian  brotherhood  knows  neither  bond  nor  free, 
neither  Jew  nor  Gentile.  In  dealing  with  the  individual,  it  is  the 
purpose  of  the  church  to  lift  his  consciousness  into  the  Christian 
plane  of  consciousness.  His  life  attitudes  must  be  transformed 
into  Christian  attitudes.  Paul's  statement  is  that  "  Christ  liveth  in 
me."  This  is  a  good  statement  of  the  loss  of  the  individual  self 
and  the  partnership  in  the  consciousness  of  Christ  which  takes 
place.  This  sharing  in  consciousness,  of  course,  includes  sharing  in 
social  outlook  and  purposes. 

What  Every  Church  Ought  to  Know  About  the  Major  Industrial 
Groups  of  Its  Community 

Every  church  should  know  the  significant  industrial  groups  of 
its  community.  It  ought  not  to  consider  that  it  knows  its  com- 
munity when  it  knows  only  individuals.  The  best  social  survey 
will  take  account  of  such  social  groupings  as  the  labor  unions, 
chambers  of  commerce,  professional  groups — law,  medicine, 
industrial  engineers,  social,  professional. 


64  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

It  will  seek  to  know  why  and  how  they  are  organized,  and  will 
see  in  them  organizations  of  potential  ethical  power  which  are 
absolutely  essential  to  a  righteous  social  order. 

By  contributing  leadership  and  an  ethical  point  of  view,  the 
church  may  profoundly  influence  a  social  group.  It  can  contribute 
the  Christian  point  of  view  of  service,  which  insists  that  every  social 
group  must  justify  itself  on  a  service  basis.  It  can  interpret  the 
religious  significance  of  the  work  which  any  organized  group  is 
trying  to  do,  and  thereby  contribute  to  its  morale.  For  instance, 
it  can  interpret  the  work  of  the  farmers'  organization  in  its  signifi- 
cance, both  from  the  point  of  view  of  God  as  a  Great  Creator,  and 
from  the  human  point  of  view  of  the  farmer,  as  the  one  who  stands 
between  a  hungry  world  and  starvation.  Such  interpretation  re- 
leases the  highest  motives  in  the  life  of  the  worker,  and  thereby 
contributes  to  his  effectiveness  and  satisfaction.  Brotherhood 
is  enriched  when  it  is  interpreted  in  terms  of  specific  human  asso- 
ciation. If  the  associations  of  men  in  industry  can  be  lifted  up  to 
the  plane  of  Christian  brotherhood,  not  only  will  industry  be  the 
gainer,  but  Christian  brotherhood  will  be  enriched  and  strengthened. 
But  if  the  church  is  to  accomplish  such  a  vital  function,  its  teaching 
must  not  be  time  serving,  a  mere  good-natured  "  jollying  "  of  these 
organizations, — but  an  intelligent,  positive,  morally  authoritative 
interpretation  of  their  spiritual  significance  and  possibilities. 

The  Occupational  Adaptation  of  Our  American  Churches 

Gradually  our  American  churches  are  accumulating  experience 
in  the  adaptation  of  their  functions  to  the  occupational  tendencies 
of  the  people  whom  they  serve.  In  this  adaptation  the  church  has 
a  double  problem.  Every  church  must  have  a  ministry  which  is 
both  general  and  special.  For  a  church  to  adapt  itself  completely 
to  any  one  social  group  would  mean  that  the  church  would  become 
as  isolated  as  that  group.  Its  task  is  to  link  that  group  to  a  brother- 
hood which  is  world  wide,  and  to  do  this  its  worship  and  its  services 
must  reach  out  into  the  great  human  experience  of  the  Christian 
fellowship  which  began  with  Jesus,  and  extends  down  into  the 
present  time.  The  test  of  a  church's  ministry  is  its  success  in 
accomplishing  not  one,  but  both  of  these  tasks.  We  offer  in  Part  II 
an  example  of  the  adaptation  which  a  number  of  our  American 
churches  are  accomplishing  in  communities  which  have  specialized 
populations.     In  doing  so  we  recognize  that  this  new  adaptation 


MEN  IN  THEIR  OCCUPATIONS  65 

of  the  church  has  not  been  as  yet  perfected,  but  that  it  is  a  realm  in 
which  the  churches  are  seeking  experience;  and  it  is  our  aim  to  take 
the  experiences  of  the  best  and  place  them  at  the  disposal  of  the 
rest. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  FARMER 

The  church  must  take  account,  first  of  all  of  "  What  is  on  the 
farmer's  mind."  This  is  more  important  than  what  is  on  his 
field. 

In  dealing  with  the  present  farmer  in  America,  the  church 
must  take  account  of  the  period  in  which  he  is  living.  He  has  gone 
through  three  periods  in  his  development,  and  is  just  emerging 
into  a  fourth  period  in  which  the  church  now  finds  him.  He  began 
as  a  pioneer  who  hewed  out  his  farm  from  the  forest.  Following 
this  came  the  land  farmer,  of  the  plains  of  the  West.  Then  came 
the  period  which  marks  the  large  growth  of  tenancy  in  America. 
The  farmer  is  just  emerging  into  what  might  be  called  the  period  of 
cooperation  and  scientific  farming.  It  is  to  this  man,  at  his  present 
stage  of  development,  that  the  church  must  come  with  its  ministry. 
There  is  an  imperative  necessity  that  the  church  shall  adapt  the 
organization  of  Protestantism  to  his  needs.  Denominationalism 
can  thrive  in  a  thickly  populated  city.  It  often  stands  as  an  ob- 
stacle to  all  true  social  experience  in  the  open  country. 

The  rural  church  must  educate  the  farmer  for  rural  citizenship. 
The  sins  and  the  virtues  of  the  farmer  are  not  the  same  as  those  of 
the  city  man.  Discussion  groups  in  the  rural  church  and  church 
school  will  naturally  discuss  the  issues  which  are  vital  to  rural 
welfare. 

The  benevolence  program  of  a  rural  church  manifestly  differs 
from  the  church  in  the  city  or  the  suburb.  The  needs  of  the  poor 
in  the  rural  community  are  seldom  the  needs  of  the  poor  in  the  city, 
and  the  methods  of  dealing  are  modified  by  the  fact  that  the  church 
is  probably  the  one  institution  for  benevolence.  In  enlisting  the 
giving  power  of  the  farmer,  the  church  must  recognize  the  conditions 
under  which  he  acquires  his  money.  The  church  must  also  press 
upon  the  farmer  his  obligation  to  give  from  his  own  standpoint, 
since  by  no  other  means  can  the  farmer's  thoughts  be  lifted  onto  a 
plane  of  world-wide  interest. 

Friendship  is  not  a  different  thing  in  the  open  country,  but 
friendship  in  the  open  country  must  take  account  of  certain  natural 


66  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

conditions  in  American  farm  life.  The  American  farmer  has  lived 
as  an  isolated  individual,  as  has  no  other  farmer  in  the  world.  He 
has  not  yet  developed  the  institutions  of  friendship,  as  have  the 
farmers  in  Europe  in  their  village  life.  The  church  has  an  obligation 
to  promote  friendliness  through  wholesome  recreation,  and  in  every 
way  in  which  it  can,  call  the  people  together  in  helpful  association. 

The  farmer  does  not  worship  another  God,  but  his  approach  to 
God  may  be  different  from  that  of  the  man  in  the  city  street.  He 
comes  out  of  an  experience  of  cooperation  with  God  in  close  associa- 
tion with  the  processes  of  nature.  The  experience  on  the  basis  of 
which  he  can  appreciate  the  Divine  is  different. 

The  true  socialization  of  the  farmer  takes  place  when,  through 
worship,  his  consciousness  is  linked  with  the  Divine  consciousness 
and  with  the  highest  human  consciousness.  In  worship  he  loses 
his  deepest  isolation. 

The  church  in  its  services  of  worship  must  spiritualize  the  great 
outstanding  experiences  of  the  farmer's  life.  The  Bible  festivals 
were  originally  rural  festivals  which  exalted  the  time  of  planting 
and  of  harvesting,  and  called  the  people  together  in  wholesome  re- 
ligious association.  It  is  the  business  of  the  rural  church  to  re- 
introduce this  adaptation  to  the  farmer's  experience  into  the  worship 
of  a  church. 

In  Part  II  we  give  condensed  sketches  of  a  number  of  rural 
churches  which  are  working  at  the  problem  of  group  adaptation. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  BUSINESS  MAN 

The  church  has  recognized  the  psychology  of  the  business  man 
because  it  has  had  large  experience  in  organizing  the  business  man 
and  his  group  of  churches.  Some  one  has  coined  the  expression  "  the 
church  which  walks  like  a  business  man."  It  is  generally  a  church 
in  a  residential  section  of  a  city  or  town,  which  is  well  supported  and 
has  about  it  many  of  the  same  qualities  which  we  find  in  a  large 
business  establishment.  But  the  church  must  do  something  more 
than  simply  adapt  itself  to  those  tendencies  of  thought  and  feeling 
which  are  the  product  of  experience  in  the  modern  business  world. 
The  church  must  lift  that  thought  and  feeling  up  to  the  plane  of 
Christian  attitudes  in  such  situations.  It  is  dealing  here  with  men 
who  have  stewardship  of  great  properties.  It  is  dealing  with  men 
who  are  organizing  large  industries.     It  must  press  home  the  ethical 


MEN  IN  THEIR  OCCUPATIONS  67 

issues  which  center  around  the  ownership  of  property  and  the 
management  of  industry.  Unless  it  does  this,  it  will  have  failed 
completely.  It  is  not  a  question  of  a  church's  ability  to  assemble 
a  congregation  in  the  residential  districts  of  town  and  city  which  is 
the  test  of  success  with  the  church  of  this  group.  So  much  of  suc- 
cess the  church  has  to  quite  an  extent  already  accomplished.  The 
real  test  lies  in  the  ability  of  the  church  to  Christianize  the  group 
which  it  has  won.  Here,  especially,  the  church  is  called  upon  to 
denounce,  with  the  courage  of  the  old  prophets,  selfishness,  luxury, 
dishonesty  in  the  strong  and  the  powerful.  The  sins  of  the  modern 
business  world  are  peculiarly  their  own,  and  the  church  should 
know  them. 

THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  LABORER 

In  dealing  with  the  individual  who  works  in  the  modern  fac- 
tory, the  church  is  dealing  with  a  man  whose  psychology  necessarily 
differs  from  that  of  the  farmer  or  the  business  man.  The  laborer 
comes  out  of  a  collective  experience.  Daily  he  associates  with 
many  others  in  a  common  task.  As  the  farmer  is  an  individualist, 
so  the  laborer  will  think  in  terms  of  group  relationships.  Whiting 
Williams  gives  us  a  fair  picture  of  "  What's  on  the  Worker's  Mind." 
It  is  a  story  of  anxiety  about  his  job,  of  fear  of  unemployment,  and 
of  a  desire  for  success  and  recognition  in  his  particular  field  of  work. 
He  gives  the  following  four  factors  which  lie  at  the  bottom  of  the 
labor  problem : 

"I.  The  huge  importance  to  the  working  man  —  and  that 
means  to  us  all  —  of  that  prayer  of  the  industrial  era:  '  Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  job! '  The  job  it  is  which  affords  to  each  of  us 
the  platform  upon  which  we  stand  as  members  of  the  modern 
industrial  commonwealth.  The  job  it  is  which  connects  each  of  us 
with  the  doings  of  others  in  a  way  to  make  us  important  to  them, 
and  so  to  ourselves.  The  job  it  is  which  serves  as  a  crank-shaft,  by 
which  we  get  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  forces  of  our  own  lives 
geared  up  with  the  forces  of  others  for  turning  the  wheels  of  the 
world's  work,  —  and  so  for  finding  ourselves  not  altogether  value- 
less. Job  gone?  then  the  Tightness  of  the  rest  of  the  circle  of  our 
interests  gives  us  little  satisfaction  —  in  spite  of  such  testimony  as 
that  of  the  hopeful  wife  who  got  out  to  inspect  the  rear  tire,  and 
reported,  '  Well,  John,  it  is  quite  flat  at  the  bottom,  but  the  rest  of 
it  is  fine!  ' 


68  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

"II.  The  importance  of  the  part  played  by  our  bodies,  as  the 
result  of  their  effort  to  adapt  themselves  to  the  conditions  of  work- 
ing and  living  imposed  by  the  job.  Especially  the  power  for  in- 
dustrial and  civic  evil  possessed  and  wielded  by  those  unheavenly 
twins  of  '  Tiredness  and  Temper  '  —  the  TNT  that  causes  so 
many  explosions  in  the  trenches  of  both  the  family  and  the  factory 
life. 

"  III.  The  importance  of  the  mental  condition  of  the  man  in 
the  job  —  the  threat  of  wide-spread  evil  to  be  found  in  the  huge 
volume  of  misunderstanding  between  modern  employer  and  modern 
employee. 

"  IV.  The  vital  importance  of  what  can  be  called  the  spiritual 
conditions  which  all  of  us  hope  to  find  wrapped  up  in  our  job:  the 
deep-down  mainspring  of  our  desire  to  '  be  somebody  '  and  to 
'  count  '  most  of  all  by  reason  of  the  thing  we  do,  —  to  show  our- 
selves men,  by  virtue  of  showing  ourselves  workmen." 

Adaptation  of  the  Church  to  the  Laborer 

The  main  adaptations  of  a  church  in  an  industrial  or  working 
class  neighborhood  are  as  follows.  The  building  should  be  large, 
with  a  parish-house  like  a  settlement,  to  house  highly-developed 
social  and  recreational  features  such  as  athletics,  social  evenings, 
night  classes,  club  meetings,  and  various  needed  neighborhood 
activities.  In  such  a  neighborhood,  so-called  institutional  methods 
have  their  greatest  application.  The  pastor  and  his  staff  of  helpers 
should  know  economics  as  thoroughly  as  theology.  They  should 
cast  their  lot  with  the  upward  struggle  of  labor.  They  should  be 
experts  in  community  organization.  They  should  organize  for 
case  work,  relief  and  unemployment,  —  and  for  preventative  work 
with  adolescent  boys  and  girls,  like  modern  school  visitors.  They 
should  make  the  church  house  a  center  of  social  recreation,  including 
carefully  supervised  social  dancing,  pageantry  and  dramatics. 

Cooperation  with  the  Labor  Group 

Fully  as  important  as  the  ministry  of  the  church  to  individual 
laboring  men,  is  its  cooperative  ministry  to  labor  groups.  The 
labor  union  and  the  trade  organizations,  in  which  labor  is  organized, 
offer  an  opportunity  for  a  very  important  ministry  on  the  part  of 
the  church.  The  fraternal  delegate  from  the  Ministerial  Associa- 
tion to  the  local  Trades  Council,  which  is  a  federation  of  the  labor 


MEN  IN  THEIR  OCCUPATIONS  69 

unions,  can  often  be  a  connecting  link  between  the  church  and  the 
important  labor  groups.  Wherever  possible,  churches  should  wel- 
come the  chance  to  appoint  such  a  delegate,  and  should  appoint  a 
man  who  will  make  the  most  of  this  opportunity. 

Cooperation  with  Workers'  Education  Movement 

In  England,  the  churches  have  cooperated  with  the  Workers' 
Education  Movement,  and  such  cooperation  will  probably  be  pos- 
sible in  the  United  States.  As  this  movement  grows,  there  will  be 
a  demand  for  liberal  people  who  can  teach  in  the  classes  organized 
by  the  workers  themselves. 

Union  Services  on  Labor  Sunday 

Labor  Sunday  offers  to  the  churches  a  great  opportunity. 
Many  of  our  churches  hold  union  services  on  the  evening  of  Labor 
Sunday,  and  invite  the  Labor  Unions  to  attend  and  furnish  part  of 
the  program.  This  cooperation  should  be  democratic  and  fair  to 
all  parties  concerned.  In  one  community,  all  the  churches  join 
together  in  a  union  service  in  a  public  place,  and  the  Labor  Unions 
are  invited  to  furnish  the  speaker,  whose  expenses  are  paid  by  the 
local  churches.  This  custom  has  been  kept  up  for  a  number  of 
years  with  good  results. 

The  Industrial  Conference 

The  industrial  conference,  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  re- 
ligious forces,  often  brings  together  churchmen,  laborers,  and  em- 
ployers for  mutual  conference  and  discussion.  This  is  a  service 
which  the  church  has  a  right  to  render,  and  should  be  carried  still 
further  in  all  the  industrial  communities  of  the  country.  A  pro- 
gram for  such  an  industrial  conference  is  given  in  Part  II, 
Section  A.  A  simpler  type  of  industrial  conference,  which  any 
church  can  hold,  was  conducted  by  one  pastor  as  follows:  He  sent 
out  to  one  hundred  employed  men  in  his  congregation  a  question- 
naire with  this  one  question:  "If  my  employer  could  see  the  busi- 
ness from  my  standpoint,  what  would  he  do  that  he  does  not  now 
do?  "  The  people  to  whom  this  questionnaire  was  sent  were 
asked  to  return  it  at  an  early  date  with  the  question  answered,  but 
it  was  expressly  stipulated  that  the  answer  need  not  be  signed.  In 
the  same  manner  a  question  was  sent  to  one  hundred  employers: 
"  If  my  employees  could  see  the  business  from  my  standpoint, 


70  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

what  would  they  do  that  they  do  not  now  do?  "  The  answers 
which  came  back  were  used  as  a  basis  for  discussion  on  two  Sunday 
evenings  at  the  church  services. 

THE  MIGRANT    GROUPS 
American  Seamen. 

The  men  who  come  from  the  ships  and  who  spend  a  short 
time  in  the  various  ports  of  America  constitute  a  distinct  and  very 
important  group  of  workmen.  The  church  has  recognized  a  re- 
sponsibility here  by  various  kinds  of  institutional  ministry,  and 
has  rendered  a  service.  The  American  Seaman's  Friend  Society 
is  a  notable  instance  of  this  kind. 

Migrant  Workers  in  the  Agricultural  Field 

We  are  coming  to  recognize  that  there  is  a  distinct  group  of 
migrant  workers  in  the  agricultural  field,  for  which  the  church  has 
so  far  done  very  little.  The  old  Hebrews  made  of  the  harvest  time 
a  religious  festival,  and  all  shared  together  in  the  task  of  furnishing 
the  extra  labor  necessary  for  gathering  in  the  harvest.  Our  modern 
churches  are  recognizing  here  a  responsibility  which  has  not  yet 
been  fulfilled.     It  is  one  of  the  unfinished  tasks  of  Protestantism. 

Migrants  in  the  Downtown  Hotels 

In  every  large  city  there  is  a  large  hotel  population  which  is 
unattached  to  any  permanent  community  life,  and  which  offers 
the  opportunity  for  Christian  service.  Many  of  our  downtown 
churches  have  so  adjusted  their  program  as  to  bring  a  distinct 
appeal  to  this  hotel  population,  and  they  have  been  gratified  by  a 
large  response.  The  Chicago  Sunday  Evening  Club  is  a  notable 
example  of  a  church  of  this  kind. 

THE  STUDENT  GROUP 

Next  to  the  home,  the  church  has  had  its  best  experience  in 
cooperating  with  the  student  communities  gathered  in  colleges  and 
universities.  The  churches  in  college  and  university  towns  have 
developed  a  method  based  on  several  years'  experience,  which  has 
brought  success.  Its  first  task  has  been  to  discover  what  was  on 
the  student's  mind.  The  psychological  aspect  has  been  as  impor- 
tant as  the  sociological. 


MEN  IN  THEIR  OCCUPATIONS  71 

What  the  Church  ought  to  Know  about  the  Student  Community 

Most  of  the.  student  communities  now  make  possible  the  ac- 
quiring by  the  churches  of  essential  facts  about  its  life  and  organiza- 
tion. In  many  universities  and  colleges,  the  student  is  required 
to  indicate  whether  or  not  he  has  a  religious  preference,  and  this 
information  is  available  for  the  churches. 

The  church  should  know  and  cooperate  with  all  volunteer 
organizations  which  the  students  and  faculty  may  organize  in  the 
college  community.  The  Christian  Associations  have,  up  to  the 
present  time,  been  vigorous  and  noble  organizations  inside  the  col- 
lege community,  and  it  is  the  business  of  the  church  to  cooperate 
with  these  wherever  possible. 

Discussion  Questions 

1.  What  effect  does  the  way  men  make  their  living  have  upon  their  character? 

2.  How  would  you  classify  the  various  ways  in  which  men  "  make  a  living  "? 

3.  Is  the  economic  division  of  men  in  class  groups  inevitable? 

4.  How  may  the  church  adapt  its  work  and  life  to  a  class  group  without  becoming 

a  class  church? 

5.  What  is  the  predominant  economic  group  in  your  church? 

6.  How  is  your  church  adapting  its  work  to  the  people  whom  it  serves? 

7.  What  is  your  church  doing  to  link  these  people  to  the  great  Christian  Brother- 

hood? 


Chapter  VIII 

THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  IMMEDIATE  GEO- 
GRAPHICAL COMMUNITY 

The  conception  of  the  geographical  community  as  an  entity  is 
a  late  arrival  in  American  thinking.  We  are  coming  to  speak  of 
the  community  as  a  larger  home.  Many  of  the  functions  once 
carried  on  by  the  home  have  been  absorbed  by  the  community. 
The  rising  tide  of  community  spirit  and  community  consciousness 
is  an  affair  of  the  last  few  years.  Very  early,  however,  in  the  history 
of  our  religion,  the  geographical  community  came  to  be  looked  upon 
as  a  social  entity  which  would  be  idealized  and  made  a  part  of  the 
divine  economy  on  earth.  The  terms  "  Kingdom  of  God  "  and 
"  Holy  City  "  represent  such  idealization. 

It  is  now  being  realized,  from  the  standpoint  of  science,  what  the 
old  Hebrews  instinctively  felt,  —  that  the  people  of  a  geographical 
community  often  have  a  mind  and  character,  and  have,  as  Professor 
MacDougall  says,  "  The  most  interesting,  most  complex  and  most 
important  kind  of  a  group  mind."  The  national  consciousness  of 
the  modern  state  is  an  illustration  of  this  group  mind,  and  during 
recent  years  has  often  over-ridden  all  other  group  consciousness. 
It  has  thrust  into  the  background  the  church  consciousness,  and 
has  held  undisputed  sway  until  the  recent  war  revealed  some  of  its 
moral  limitations.  The  larger  community  generally  organizes  as  a 
political  unit  in  the  form  of  a  city,  a  town,  a  village  or  a  state 
government. 

The  Church  as  the  Inner  Community 

The  religious  fellowship  which  is  organized  in  the  church  is  not 
to  be  identified  too  closely  with  the  geographical  community.  It 
is  an  inner  community  of  persons,  bound  together  by  ties  which  are 
more  intimate  and  sacred  than  geographical  relationships.  Geog- 
raphy, after  all,  is  a  rather  superficial  condition.     Men  may  be  in 


THE  IMMEDIATE   GEOGRAPHICAL  COMMUNITY   73 

the  same  geographical  locality  and  not  be  very  much  alike  in  the 
important  matters  of  life.  The  bonds  which  unite  people  in  a 
Christian  fellowship  are  moral  and  spiritual,  and  only  incidentally 
have  to  do  with  geography.  We  cannot  reduce  them  to  the  terms 
of  physical  relationships.  The  church  will  often  draw  a  cultural 
line  which  divides  a  geographical  community.  The  church  is  a 
fellowship  of  believers,  and  it  refuses  to  be  identified  with  the 
"weak  and  beggarly  "  elements  of  geography.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  this  cultural  fellowship  cannot  be  true  to  itself  and  ignore 
the  physical  conditions  which  are  basic  to  its  physical  life. 

The  Rediscovery  of  the  Geographical  Parish 

During  the  first  one  hundred  and  eighty  years  of  American 
history  the  majority  of  her  churches  had  established  geographical 
parishes  for  which  they  were  responsible.  With  the  final  separa- 
tion of  church  and  state  and  the  recognized  right  of  every  group  to 
organize  as  it  pleased,  the  geographical  parish  gave  way  to  the 
"  self-chosen  "  parish,  which  paid  little  attention  to  geographical 
lines.  This  was  a  distinct  gain  for  the  church.  A  church  was 
responsible  for  the  people  who  came  to  it.  This  meant,  however, 
constant  overlapping  of  parishes,  and  a  resultant  waste  which  was 
to  be  regretted.  A  cooperating  Protestantism  is  now  returning  to 
a  new  interest  in  the  geographical  parish.  This  it  proposes  to  do 
without  neglecting  the  gains  which  were  won  under  the  "  self- 
chosen  parish  "  plan.  The  proposed  Protestant  parish  plan  of  the 
St.  Louis  Federation  of  Churches  is  instructive  in  this  connection. 

1.  Define  the  word  "  parish  "  as  meaning  for  the  purpose  of  this  classifica- 
tion a  unit  of  territory  in  which  intensive  periodical,  house-to-house  and  indi- 
vidual-by-individual work  is  done. 

2.  It  is  recommended  that  each  church  shall  have  in  addition  to  its  self- 
chosen  parish,  a  neighborhood  parish. 

3.  The  limits  of  the  neighborhood  parish  are  to  be  determined  by  mutual 
counsel  with  other  churches,  usually  had  in  this  Commission. 

a.  It  is  understood  that  from  the  neighborhood  parish  no  other  church  is  to 

be  excluded,  and  to  it  the  ministering  church  is  not  to  be  confined. 

b.  The  ministering  church  agrees  to  make  a  periodical  visitation  of  its 

neighborhood  parish,  exchange  information  with  other  churches  regard- 
ing families  and  individuals  visited,  through  duplicate  cards  which  will 
be  furnished,  if  desired,  by  the  Church  Federation. 


74  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

c.  It  is  recommended  that  block  visitors  be  appointed  for  each  city  block 

included  in  the  neighborhood  parish,  with  a  system  of  reporting,  so  as  to 
keep  the  ministering  church  in  constant  touch  with  incoming  and  out- 
going families  and  individuals. 

d.  Eventually,  the  neighborhood  parishes  will  cover  the  city  without  over- 

looking or  overlapping.     Self-chosen  parishes  may  overlap. 

The  Larger  Parish  Plan  for  the  Rural  Village 

The  following  larger  Parish  Plan  centers  in  Wadena,  Minne- 
sota, and  includes  six  out-stations,  of  which  Wadena  is  a  natural 
trade  center. 

1.  To  carry  on  the  Larger  Parish  under  the  guidance  of  a  Parish  Council 
which  shall  consist  of  two  individuals  nominated  and  elected  by  each  one  of  the 
participating  committees;  this  council  to  elect  its  own  officers  and  decide  upon  its 
program,  submitting  the  latter  to  the  various  groups  as  occasion  requires. 

2.  To  promote  large  and  wide-spread  interest  in  a  seven-days-a-week  program 
of  varied  activities  which  shall  take  into  account  the  whole  man  and  entire  life 
process;  special  thought  to  be  given  to  the  needs  and  opportunities  of  the  religious, 
social,  educational  and  recreational  life  of  the  young  people. 

3.  To  bring  about  acquaintance  among  the  people  living  within  this  area 
by- 

a.  Promoting  frequent  visitation  and  interchange  of  courtesies  among  the 

homes,  schools  and  churches. 

b.  By  holding  occasional  joint  meetings  of  the  men's,  women's,  and  young 

people's  organizations. 

c.  By  common  effort  of  the  allied  groups  to  increase  the  prosperity,  happiness 

and  Christian  character  of  all  living  within  this  common  area. 

4.  To  reinforce  and  maintain,  —  and  not  to  destroy  or  absorb  —  the  included 
groups  and  neighborhoods,  by  practicing  a  cooperation  which  shall  build  them  up 
and  increase  their  individuality,  extending  to  each  ownership  in,  and  use  of,  helps 
and  equipment,  etc.,  to  be  used  for  the  common  good  of  all. 

What  the  Modern  Community  Does 

The  modern  community  has  taken  over  many  of  the  functions 
which  were  once  performed  either  by  individuals  or  by  groups  of 
individuals.  It  has  more  recently,  in  America,  taken  over  the  task 
of  popular  education.  It  is  regulating  the  economic  life,  public 
health,  and  to  some  extent  taking  charge  of  public  recreation.  In 
a  very  real  sense,  we  are  trying  to  make  the  larger  community  a 
people's  home.  Many  of  the  services  once  rendered  by  the  home 
have  been  taken  over  by  the  community. 


THE  IMMEDIATE  GEOGRAPHICAL  COMMUNITY  75 

What  is  a  Christian  Community? 

If  we  grant  to  a  community  consciousness  and  character,  the 
Christian  Community  will  be  defined  as  a  social  group  which  thinks 
of  itself  and  of  other  groups  in  a  Christian  way.  It  will  be  a  group 
which  applies  to  itself  the  Christian  law  of  service  as  the  highest 
law  in  associated  relationships.  Since  consciousness  must  express 
itself  in  action,  the  Christian  state  will  be  the  state  which  follows 
the  law  of  service  in  its  public  activities.  It  will  provide  for  the 
public  health;  it  will  regulate  the  economic  life;  it  will  organize 
recreation  in  accordance  with  the  best  welfare  of  those  whom  it  is 
supposed  to  serve.  In  its  actions  directed  toward  other  groups,  it 
will  seek  cooperation  rather  than  domination.  It  will  seek  to  live 
by  friendliness  rather  than  by  force. 

The  Church  and  the  Community 

Every  church  should  have  a  constructive  and  democratic  pro- 
gram for  serving  the  social  needs,  and  expressing  the  social  life,  of 
its  community,  both  individually  and  through  the  largest  possible 
cooperation  with  other  agencies  for  social  uplift.  This  program 
should  have  as  its  objective  the  permeation  of  the  community  with 
the  Christian  spirit,  and  the  raising  of  the  community  life  to  Chris- 
tian standards.  This  community  policy  should  become  a  perma- 
nent part  of  the  life  and  activity  of  the  church.  But  the  program 
itself  should  be  revised  and  enlarged  as  the  community  advances 
and  new  needs  appear. 

To  formulate  such  a  program,  each  church  must  know  the 
outstanding  social  needs  of  its  community  by  a  survey  of  the  com- 
munity. It  must,  from  time  to  time,  review  this  group  of  facts,  in 
order  to  measure  the  progress  of  the  community  and  to  estimate 
its  own  success  in  putting  religion  into  the  community  life. 

What  Every  Church  Should  Know  about  Its  Community 

To  discover  the  facts  called  for  by  this  study,  the  best  workers 
of  the  church  and  of  the  neighborhood  should  be  brought  together 
and  specially  trained,  in  order  that  when  the  study  is  completed, 
there  shall  be  an  effective  body  of  persons  to  carry  out  the  findings 
of  needs.  A  section  of  the  study  should  be  assigned  to  small 
groups,  or  individuals,  except  that  in  the  open  country  church  the 
preacher  had  better  himself  do  or  carefully  direct  the  work  that 
involves  the  responsibility  of  individuals  for  community  conditions. 


76  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

The  questions  should  never  be  answered  by  mere  opinions.  They 
call  for  facts,  or  judgments  based  on  facts  which  are  to  be  personally 
observed.  Where  the  information  is  obtainable  from  public  officials 
it  should  also  be  verified  by  personal  observation.  In  planning 
this  study,  call  into  council  any  local  trained  social  service  workers; 
they  will  be  able  to  offer  valuable  suggestions. 

When  the  inquiry  is  finished,  the  group  should  be  gathered 
together  to  study  the  total  results.  They  should  determine  the 
need  that  calls  most  urgently  for  immediate  action,  and  then 
agree  upon  a  plan  to  meet  that  need. 

In  developing  a  program  to  meet  the  needs  outlined  by  the 
results  of  this  study,  the  churches  should  use  their  existing  organiza- 
tions, assigning  to  each  that  sphere  in  which  it  is  naturally 
interested.  Church  federations  or  federated  groups  of  church  men 
would  be  used  to  develop  the  program  called  for  by  these  results. 
All  other  local  agencies  interested  in  social  service  work  should 
also  be  called  into  consultation  in  developing  a  program. 

The  results  of  the  whole  study  should  be  charted  whenever 
possible.  These  charts  may  be  placed  on  exhibition  for  several 
days,  prior  to  a  public  meeting  called  to  present  the  conclusions  of 
the  committee.  In  small  towns  there  should  be  a  community 
meeting.  First  the  broad  results  of  the  inquiry  should  be  presented, 
and  the  general  policy  demanded  by  them  set  forth  in  outline. 
Then  attention  should  be  focussed  on  that  particular  need  which 
the  committee  has  selected  for  immediate  action. 

The  motto  should  be:  "  Take  one  thing  at  a  time  and  con- 
centrate on  it  until  results  are  secured." 

Bounding  the  Community 

The  church  or  churches  making  this  study  must  first  determine 
what  is  their  community.  In  a  small  town,  village  or  suburb,  the 
boundaries  are  naturally  determined  by  governmental  limits.  In 
the  city,  a  group  of  churches  may  determine  their  community  by 
ward  lines.  A  single  church  in  the  city  and  a  church  in  the  open 
country  may  bound  its  community  by  the  limits  of  its  parish  rela- 
tive to  other  rural  churches,  or  of  its  trade  center,  or  of  a  consoli- 
dated school  district,  to  be  determined  in  each  instance  by  local 
circumstances. 


THE  IMMEDIATE  GEOGRAPHICAL  COMMUNITY  77 

Population 

The  program  of  a  church  must  change  with  the  changes  in 
population.  Every  church,  therefore,  must  know  whether  the 
population  is  increasing  so  as  to  demand  additional  church  work, 
or  decreasing  so  as  to  demand  the  removal  of  a  church,  or  whether 
it  is  so  changing  in  character  as  to  necessitate  a  different  type  of 
church  work. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Showing  proportion  of  nationalities. 

2.  Showing  increase  or  decrease  of  population  in  last  decade. 

3.  Showing  neighborhood  pockets  or  groups,  and  isolated  groups  or  homes. 

Church  Life 

No  church  can  develop  an  adequate  community  program 
without  cooperation  with  other  churches.  It  must,  therefore,  see 
itself  in  relation  to  the  total  religious  life  of  the  community. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Showing  ratio  of  churches  to  population. 

2.  Showing  ratio  of  church  membership  and  Sunday-school    enrolment    to 
population. 

3.  Showing  ratio  of  church  attendance  to  population  and  to  church  member- 
ship. 

4.  Showing  churches  of  various  denominations,  location  and  parishes. 

Education 

The  facts  required  can  be  secured  from  the  educational  authori- 
ties, but  should  be  verified  by  close  personal  observation  of  the 
workings  of  the  local  educational  system. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Showing  proportion  of  children  out  of  school  to  population  of  school  age. 

2.  Showing  proportion  of  people  reached  by  facilities  for  popular  education 
to  entire  population  above  school  age. 

3.  Showing  opportunities  for  vocational  training. 

Recreation 

The  facts  required  must  be  secured  by  personal  observation  of 
the  workings  of  the  agencies  referred  to. 


78  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Showing  population  capacity  of  recreation  provided. 

a.  By  community. 

b.  By  religious  agencies. 

c.  By  private  organizations. 

2.  List  the  recreational  institutions  and  agencies  of  the  community  affecting 
the  social  life  of  childhood  and  youth  in  three  parallel  columns,  headed  "  health- 
ful, harmful,  doubtful." 

3.  List  recreational  facilities  and  activities  of  the  churches. 

Health 

The  facts  required  can  be  secured  from  local  health  officers, 
but  should  be  compared  with  the  statements  of  physicians  inter- 
ested in  public  health. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Showing  death  rate  from  various  groups  of  diseases:  contagious,  bad  air, 
infant,  etc. 

2.  Showing  in  what  section  death  rate  from  these  diseases  is  greatest. 

3.  Showing  what  proportion  of  infants  die  before  one  year:  before  five  years 
of  age. 

4.  Showing  per  capita  expenditures  for  health  compared  with  expenditures 
for  protection  from  fire,  for  police,  education,  etc. 

5.  Showing  local  conditions  menacing  health. 

Housing 

The  facts  required  can  be  secured  from  local  officials  responsible 
for  sanitation,  from  local  citizens  or  associations  interested  in  good 
housing,  but  personal  observation  is  essential. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Showing  density  of  population  in  most  crowded  section  compared  with 
other  sections. 

2.  Showing  number  of  people  in  most  crowded  rooms  compared  with  number 
in  average  home. 

3.  Pictures  of  worst  homes. 

Labor 

The  figures  here  called  for  can  be  obtained  from  heads  of  in- 
dustrial and  commercial  establishments,  from  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  or  similar  body,  from  the  State  Factory  Inspector,  and 
from  officials  of  labor  organizations.      They  should  be  verified  by 


THE  IMMEDIATE  GEOGRAPHICAL  COMMUNITY  79 

conversation  with  wage  earners  and  personal  observation  of  con- 
ditions. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Proportion  of  those  working  more  than  ten  hours  to  those  working  less; 
same  for  eight  hours;  same  for  seven-days'  work. 

2.  Showing  minimum  living  standards  for  family  of  five  and  proportion  of 
male  wage-earners  getting  less  than  this  amount. 

3.  Same  for  single  women. 

4.  Labor  organization  in  the  community. 

5.  Labor  representation  in  community  agencies. 

Immigrants 

Some  of  the  facts  here  required  can  be  obtained  only  from 
immigrants  themselves,  by  some  person  who  has  business  or  friendly 
relations  with  them. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Showing  immigrant  population  areas  in  colors. 

2.  Showing  proportion  of  immigrant  population  to  Protestant  church  mem- 
bership. 

3.  Showing  Protestant  church  provision  for  immigrant  groups. 

4.  Showing  centers  for  education,  religion,  health,  labor  and  recreation  in 
immigrant  colonies,  and  their  relation  to  population  needs. 

Charities 

The  information  here  required  may  be  secured  from  the  officers 
of  the  various  agencies  and  institutions  referred  to. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Comparing  amount  of  relief  work  done  by  churches  to  that  done  by  private 
agencies;   by  public  institutions. 

2.  Showing  relief  agencies  of  all  kinds  and  their  inter-relations. 

Delinquency 

If  the  churches  are  to  work  adequately  for  the  reclamation 
of  delinquents  they  must  know  accurately  the  causes  of  delinquency 
and  vice  in  their  community,  and  work  unceasingly  for  their  removal. 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Showing  photographs  of  exterior  and  interior  of  jail,  police  station  or  lock- 
up, juvenile  court,  work  house  or  farm  colony. 

2.  Showing  how  prisoners  pass  their  time  by  hours. 


80  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

3.  Showing  probation  work  with  juvenile  court  and  with  other  courts,  and 
proportion  of  probationers  reclaimed. 

4.  Showing  preventive  work  in  church  clubs  to  keep  boys  and  girls  showing 
wayward  tendencies  from  becoming  delinquent. 

Public  Morals 

The  church  cannot  stand  as  the  defender  of  public  morals,  it 
cannot  even  protect  the  moral  life  of  youth,  unless  it  knows  defi- 
nitely the  local  institutions  and  agencies  that  endanger  morality. 
This  requires  a  close  knowledge  of  evil  forces  and  agencies  in  the 
community. 

The  facts  here  required  are  to  be  secured  by  the  personal 
observation  of  mature  persons;  by  the  testimony  of  police  officers, 
and  by  conversation  with  persons  of  the  "  underworld." 

Suggested  Charts: 

1.  Compare  attendance  at  church  services,  Sunday  schools  and  week-day 
activities  with  that  of  picture  shows  and  theatres. 

2.  Showing  location  of  places  of  public  resorts  such  as  theatres,  moving 
pictures,  dance  halls,  pool  rooms  and  resorts  on  the  water  near  the  community. 

3.  Showing  the  policy  of  the  churches  with  reference  to  (a)  the  moving 
picture  industry;    (b)  theatres;    (c)  pool  rooms;    (d)  public  dance  halls. 

"  From  Survey  to  Service  " 

Manifestly  the  churches  are  interested  in  more  than  the 
academic  gathering  of  facts  about  the  total  community.  Survey 
is  preliminary  always  to  service.  The  first  information  called  for, 
in  the  survey  of  the  community  life,  was  definite  information  con- 
cerning the  churches.  The  first  action,  then,  on  the  basis  of  the 
Survey,  calls  for  mobilization  of  the  religious  forces  in  a  united 
approach  to  community  problems.  This  mobilization  should  be 
first  of  all  denominational.  It  is  easier  to  secure  denominational 
cooperation,  and  this  should  be  the  type  first  attempted.  Such  a 
coordination  of  forces  is  illustrated  in  the  City  Missionary  Society,1 
which  professes  to  be  the  oldest  city  Missionary  Society  in  America. 
Its  organization  and  activities  are  reflected  in  the  following  brief 
summary : 

Staff:  Executive  Secretary,  Office  Secretary  and  eighteen  missionaries  in 
the  field  connected  with  specific  churches. 

Number  of  Churches   Served:    Fifteen  churches  served  by  missionaries. 
Many  others  by  consultation. 
1  Boston,  Mass. 


THE  IMMEDIATE  GEOGRAPHICAL  COMMUNITY  81 

Supported:  By  contribution  from  local  churches  and  individuals  and  by 
income  from  endowment. 

Type  of  Community:  City  of  about  800,000  population. 

Distinctive  Features  of  Work:  The  missionaries  of  the  Society,  in  their  dis- 
tricts, in  the  interest  of  Christian  nurture  administer  relief  where  necessary, 
and  cooperate  with  the  other  social  agencies. 

Friendly  assistance  is  given  to  the  many  foreigners  in  the  city. 

The  missionaries  take  the  children  to  Sunday  schools,  and  interest  the  women 
in  Mothers'  Meetings  and  other  church  activities. 

The  Society  conducts  a  summer  home  for  mothers  and  small  children,  where 
rest  and  recreation  can  be  had  without  charge. 

A  summer  camp  has  been  secured  where  boys,  during  July,  and  girls,  during 
August,  can  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  camp  life  and  share  the  opportunities  of 
inspiring  Christian  leadership. 

The  Society  has  a  definite  program  for  the  poor  and  needy  for  the 
Thanksgiving  and  the  Christmas  seasons. 

Fully  as  important,  however,  as  the  denominational  approach 
to  a  city,  should  be  the  interdenominational  approach.  This  can 
be  secured  through  a  City  Federation  of  Protestant  Churches  or  by 
a  Committee  on  Cooperation  upon  which  laymen  as  well  as  pastors 
are  represented.  It  should  be  the  object  of  such  a  federation  or 
committee  to  link  together  the  Protestant  churches  of  the  city  for  a 
united  approach  to  the  social  problems  of  the  community.  The 
work  of  such  a  federation  is  illustrated  in  the  following  brief  sum- 
mary of  the  activities  of  the  Boston  federation  during  the  past  year. 

Held  an  Institute  on  Evangelism  for  all  pastors  and  churches. 

Maintained  33  Lenten  noonday  services,  total  attendance  8,000. 

Helped  promote  the  enactment  of  laws  for  movie  censorship,  school 
nurses,  48-hour  week  for  women,  and  physical  training  in  schools. 

Cooperated  with  the  Mayor's  Committees  on  Americanization  and  unem- 
ployment. 

Conducted  a  memorial  service  in  Fenway  Park  for  15,000  persons. 

Engineered  a  church  efficiency  institute,  very  helpful  to  churches  and 
ministers. 

Established  a  much  consulted  bureau  of  information  with  files  of  churches, 
of  church  official  personnel,  of  students,  of  forum  and  club  speakers. 

Served  as  religious  clearing  house  for  all  sorts  of  societies. 

Assisted  welfare  agencies. 

Welcomed  15,000  students  away  from  home  -with  a  Church  Guide. 


82  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

Secured  Catholic,  Jewish  and  Central  Labor  Union  Cooperation  in  a  great 
conference  on  behalf  of  the  Golden  Rule  in  industry  reaching  900,000  Catholics 
besides  Protestants  and  Jews  on  one  Sunday,  November  13th. 

Outlined  a  definite  plan  for  church  consolidation  and  effective  work  on  one 
of  the  city's  densest  districts. 

The  Ultimate  Program  of  the  Church  for  the  Community 

It  is  not  possible  for  the  churches  in  any  one  year  to  realize 
their  ultimate  program  for  the  community.  It  is  not  wise  to  at- 
tempt the  solution  of  all  the  problems  at  once.  The  church  must 
deal  first  with  those  which  are  critical.  It  will  find  itself  only  one 
of  a  number  of  organizations  which  are  organized  for  community 
welfare.  With  a  real  social  mind,  it  must  follow  the  leadings  of 
the  cooperative  spirit.  The  church  recognizes  an  equal  moral 
obligation  to  cooperate  in  promoting  public  health,  law  enforce- 
ment, public  recreation  and  education.  There  may  be  limitations 
on  the  power  of  the  church  to  accomplish,  but  its  moral  obligation 
extends  to  every  phase  of  community  welfare. 

The  method  of  the  church  in  cooperating  with  other  agencies 
and  in  promoting  community  welfare  can  be  illustrated  in  the  realm 
of  education. 

The  church  should  recognize  a  necessary  division  of  labor  be- 
tween itself  and  the  state  in  promoting  public  education.  That 
which  the  church  is  to  do,  it  should  seek  to  do  in  the  best  way 
possible.  Some  of  its  work  it  will  do  in  cooperation  with  such 
organizations  as  the  Boy  and  Girl  Scouts  and  the  Christian 
Associations. 

That  part  of  education  which  belongs  to  the  state  is  not  outside 
the  purview  of  the  social  interest  of  the  church.  The  church  should 
cooperate  to  the  full  extent  of  its  ability  by  building  the  morale  of 
the  community  for  public  education.  It  should  arouse  the  people 
to  a  sense  of  obligation  for  their  schools.  It  should  seek  to  inspire 
the  teachers  with  the  consciousness  of  the  importance  of  their  work, 
and  their  divine  commission  to  do  it  well.  Many  of  the  churches 
make  the  first  Sunday  after  the  public  schools  have  opened  an 
education  day,  and  magnify  the  work  of  the  schools  in  the  interest 
of  the  people.  School  teachers  are  often  invited  as  special  guests, 
and  are  asked  to  select  a  special  speaker  for  the  occasion.  In  many 
such  ways  the  church  can  fortify  the  work  of  the  public-school 
system,  and  help  guarantee  an  intelligent  community. 


THE  IMMEDIATE  GEOGRAPHICAL  COMMUNITY  83 

Pastors,  leaders  of  clubs,  and  teachers  in  the  public  schools 
should  keep  in  frequent  helpful  association,  especially  in  construc- 
tive work  with  individual  pupils. 

The  Church  and  Public  Health 

In  a  similar  way  the  churches  can  cooperate  for  public  health. 

By  definite  instruction  they  may  promote  public  health  among 
their  members.  Many  churches,  recognizing  the  close  alliance 
between  faith  and  health,  have  held  special  lectures  and  clinics  for 
those  who  need  to  hear  such  a  message. 

But  more  important  than  this  is  the  work  of  the  church  in 
cooperation  with  the  recognized  health  agencies  of  the  community. 
Disease  is  no  longer  a  private  matter.  The  stamping  out  of  disease 
calls  for  cooperative  effort.  Cooperative  effort  demands  public 
sentiment.  Church  members  should  be  trained  until  they  have  a 
Christian  conscientiousness  about  those  matters  which  affect  public 
health.  By  this  method  the  church  can  build  the  morale  which 
will  make  it  possible  for  the  public  health  officers  to  do  their  best 
work. 

The  Church  and  the  Community  Organization 

The  modern  science  of  community  organization  is  growing 
rapidly.  It  aims  to  bind  the  citizens  together  for  common  pur- 
poses and  organization,  such  as  recreation,  health,  social  life, 
dramatics,  community  singing,  cooperative  merchandising,  the 
systematic  development  of  social  agencies,  and  the  development 
of  rural  life  and  agriculture.  It  seeks  community-wide  relationships 
including  all  citizens. 

The  church  should  always  keep  this  ideal  in  mind.  In  thou- 
sands of  communities  it  is  in  a  position  to  lead  and  often  to  house 
this  larger  uniting  of  the  community.  In  every  community  it  is 
in  a  position  to  turn  in  and  help,  and  to  exert  its  influence  for  un- 
selfish organization  of  the  common  life. 

The  church  should  also  study  to  build  the  organization  demo- 
cratically in  the  total  population  of  its  neighborhood  so  far  as  this 
is  possible.  Certainly  its  clubs  and  organizations  for  men  and 
women  can  be  so  democratized  and  controlled  by  the  membership. 
The  church,  as  far  as  physically  possible,  can  be  open  wide  for 
legitimate  community  meetings  and  organizations. 


84  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

The  Commission  on  the  Church  and  Social  Service 

Several  of  the  larger  religious  bodies  are  now  cooperating 
through  the  Federal  Council's  Commission  on  the  Church  and  Social 
Service.  This  organization  is  a  clearing  house  for  information  con- 
cerning methods  of  social  work  in  the  churches.  It  is  promoting 
community  study  and  organization,  child  welfare,  and  in  particular, 
a  movement  for  more  Christian  industrial  relations.  Conferences 
of  employers,  labor  leaders  and  ministers  are  being  held  in  various 
parts  of  the  country.  The  Educational  Committee  prepares  social 
service  literature  and  study  courses.  The  Research  Department 
issues  a  semi-monthly  Information  Service  and  occasional  printed 
bulletins  on  social  and  industrial  problems.  The  Commission  is  at 
the  service  of  churches  of  all  faiths. 

Discussion  Questions 

1.  What  do  we  mean  by  the  Self-chosen  Parish? 

2.  What  do  we  mean  by  the  Geographical  Parish? 

3.  What  is  the  "  Larger  Parish  Plan  "  for  rural  communities? 

4.  How  would  you  organize  to  study  your  immediate  geographical  parish? 

5.  What  are  the  main  facts  which  every  church  ought  to  know  about  its  com- 

munity? 

6.  What  do  you  know  about  your  community? 

7.  What  ought  to  be  done  with  these  facts  when  acquired? 

8.  What  are  the  limitations  of  denominational  organizations  in  approaching 

community  problems? 

9.  What  do  you  consider  is  the  greatest  evil  in  your  community? 
10.  How  might  the  churches  organize  to  combat  it? 


Chapter  IX 

THE  MIND  OF  THE  CHURCH  AND  THE   WORLD 

COMMUNITY 

As  men  have  taken  stock  of  the  terrific  waste  of  life  and  wealth 
in  the  recent  World  War,  they  are  more  and  more  convinced,  as  Lord 
Robert  Cecil  said,  that  the  repetition  of  this  tragedy  will  bring  the 
"  collapse  of  Western  civilization."  We  cannot  too  often  refresh 
our  mind  with  some  of  its  startling  statistics. 

Direct  cost  not  counting  interest $186,000,000,000. 

All  costs,  direct  and   indirect,  including  loss  of  ship- 
ping, damaged  property,  loss  of  production,  etc 355,291,719,815. 

Cost  of  all  wars   1793-1910 23,000,000,000. 

Cost  of  World  War   1914-1918 186,000,000,000. 

Killed  in  battle 19,658,000. 

Increased  death  rate 30,470,000. 

Decreased  birth  rate 40,500,000. 


Total 89,628,000. 

1913  1920 

United  States  of  America $1,028,000,000  $24,974,000,000. 

Great  Britain 3,485,000,000     39,314,000,000. 

France 6,346,000,000     46,025,000,000. 

International  Friendship  Through  the  Churches 

The  greatest  service  which  the  church  renders  to  international 
life  is  when  it  becomes  in  itself  a  fellowship  which  means  more  to 
men  than  nationality.  When  church  channels  are  the  channels 
through  which  friendship  easily  passes  from  Christians  of  one 
national  group  to  Christians  of  another  national  group,  we  have  a 
uniting  bond  which  will  temper  the  passions  of  patriotism.  This 
relationship,  when  cultivated,  can  become  a  guiding  and  controlling 
force  in  the  world  of  international  politics. 


86  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

The  old  world  order,  based  on  force  and  fear  and  the  balance 
of  power,  has  lost  the  confidence  of  thinking  people.  The  church 
advances  to  a  new  situation  with  the  proud  consciousness  that,  for 
over  a  hundred  years,  in  its  missionary  propaganda  it  has  said  that 
national  lines  are  not  the  limits  of  love  and  justice.  It  looks  upon 
the  plan  for  a  society  of  nations  as  the  fulfillment  of  its  own  scheme 
of  missionary  activity. 

It  is  evident  that  a  conscience  which  takes  upon  itself  a  world 
task  must  feel  that  it  has  its  origin  and  authority  in  the  will  of  God. 
The  futility  of  a  fragmentary,  isolated  code  of  ethics  to  control 
human  society  is  apparent  whenever  one  thinks  of  the  colossal 
forces  to  be  controlled.  The  task  cannot  be  accomplished  except 
as  there  is  the  marshalling  of  a  great  social  force  like  the  Christian 
church,  whose  corporate  conscience  is  rooted  in  the  very  being  of 
God,  and  whose  outreach  is  in  every  province  of  human  society. 
There  can  be  no  divorce  between  religion  and  ethics  if  the  battle  is 
to  be  won.  There  can  be  no  minimizing  of  the  church  if  the  battle 
is  to  be  won.  The  forces  of  a  living  church,  which  is  also  the  his- 
toric church,  in  the  name  of  the  God  of  our  fathers  who  is  also  the 
God  of  the  present,  must  rally  to  the  task  of  setting  up  the  authority 
of  the  spirit,  in  a  world  which  cannot  be  manipulated  from  without, 
but  must  be  controlled  from  within. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  American  Protestantism, 
there  seems  to  be  something  of  a  common  mind  with  reference  to  a 
new  international  world  order,  and  for  the  first  time  there  is  the 
voice  for  the  expression  of  this  common  mind  of  all  the  churches. 
The  modern  church  is  writing  new  decalogues.  A  decalogue  is  an 
itemized  bill  of  particulars,  setting  forth  the  obligations  of  the 
Christian  conscience,  —  international  planks  in  our  conscience 
platforms.  The  churches  gladly  recognize  the  opportunity  to 
speak,  through  the  Federal  Council  of  churches,  their  common 
mind  with  reference  to  international  matters.  We  are  glad  to  in- 
corporate here  a  recent  declaration  of  the  Federal  Council  of  the 
Churches  of  Christ  in  America. 

INTERNATIONAL  IDEALS  OF  THE  CHURCHES  OF  CHRIST 

1.  We  believe  that  nations,  no  less  than  individuals,  are  subject  to  God's 
immutable  moral  laws. 

2.  We  believe  that  nations  achieve  true  welfare,  greatness  and  honor  only 
through  just  dealing  and  unselfish  service. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  87 

3.  We  believe  that  nations  that  regard  themselves  as  Christian  have  special 
international  obligations. 

4.  We  believe  that  the  spirit  of  Christian  brotherliness  can  remove  every 
unjust  barrier  of  trade,  color,  creed  and  race. 

5.  We  believe  that  CHRISTIAN  patriotism  demands  the  practice  of  good- 
will between  nations. 

6.  We  believe  that  international  policies  should  secure  equal  justice  for  all 
races. 

7.  We  believe  that  all  nations  should  associate  themselves  permanently  for 
world  peace  and  good-will. 

8.  We  believe  in  international  law,  and  in  the  universal  use  of  international 
courts  of  justice  and  boards  of  arbitration. 

9.  We  believe  in  a  sweeping  reduction  of  armaments  by  all  nations. 

10.  We  believe  in  a  warless  world,  and  dedicate  ourselves  to  its  achievement. 

Organizing  for  Education 

But  the  churches  cannot  be  content  with  a  statement  of  general 
principles.  There  is  still  one  step  in  the  process  which  must  not  be 
overlooked.  The  mind  of  the  church  is  not  a  given  and  finished 
product.  It  is  always  in  the  making.  As  churches,  we  must  help 
to  build  the  conscience  of  the  church.  For  Protestants  it  is  not 
something  handed  down  from  the  top.  It  must  be  built  up  group 
by  group,  church  by  church,  denomination  by  denomination.  The 
will  of  God  for  human  society  has  not  been  committed  to  any  one 
individual  for  interpretation.  The  corporate  conscience  is  truer  in 
its  outlook  than  the  individual  conscience.  No  one  individual,  or 
group,  is  good  enough  to  determine  the  rule  of  God  for  the  nations. 
On  all  of  us  is  the  obligation  to  seek  by  cooperative  effort  the  way 
of  God  for  our  generation.  It  is  here  that  the  whole  educational 
plan  of  the  church  finds  its  place.  We  cannot  wait  until  people 
have  reached  adult  life  before  we  seek  to  determine  their  minds  on 
international  matters.  We  must  begin  with  the  children,  to  train 
their  sympathies  and  their  understanding  concerning  the  people  of 
other  lands.  The  great  advantage  in  missionary  education  in  every 
department  of  the  church  school  is  that  it  early  teaches  people  to 
think  helpfully  and  unselfishly  about  people  of  other  lands  and 
other  races.  The  new  and  better  world  cannot  come  until  mis- 
sionary and  social  education  is  thoroughly  incorporated  in  the  whole 
educational  scheme  of  the  church.  Until  the  church  has  paid  the 
price  of  educating  its  people  for  citizenship,  there  will  be  wars  and 
rumors  of  wars.     The  only  kind  of  pacifism  which  will  ever  help 


88  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

society  is  that  militant  type  which  energetically  undertakes  the 
task  of  creating  a  new  mind  for  a  new  world  order.  We  must 
match  the  large  demands  we  are  expecting  in  pi  blic  policy  with  a 
similar  vigorous  demand  for  a  teaching  program  on  the  part  of  the 
church,  which  will  guarantee  that  every  church  member  has  learned 
to  think  in  more  than  national  terms. 

The  Work  of  the  Social  Service  Committee  in  the  Local  Church 
It  should  be  the  work  of  the  Social  Service  Committee  in  each 
local  church  to  feel  a  responsibility  for  promoting  Christian  intelli- 
gence about  America's  international  relations.  The  work  of  this 
committee  will  itemize  somewhat  as  follows : 

1.  If  there  is  a  church  library,  the  best  literature  along  this  line  should  be 
provided  for  it.  These  books  should  not  only  be  on  the  shelves  but  they 
should  be  read  by  the  people.  Many  pastors  may  help  by  recommending  these 
books  to  their  congregations,  and  by  organizing  study  courses  in  the  Sunday 
school. 

2.  The  Social  Service  Committee  can  arrange  for  occasional  public  discus- 
sions, lectures  and  debates  in  the  church  on  international  questions. 

3.  The  Social  Service  Committee  can  promote  in  all  the  various  organizations 
those  subjects  which  are  vital  to  international  policies  of  the  church. 

Interdenominational  Organization  in  the  Local  Community 

Through  the  City  Federation,  or  in  other  ways,  the  Social 
Service  Committees  in  the  various  churches  may  organize  for  inter- 
denominational and  community  promotion.  Public  meetings  which 
will  reach  the  whole  community  may  be  held,  to  promote  interest 
in  questions  of  international  policy,  and  to  register  the  mind  of  the 
community  on  issues  such  as  those  which  came  before  the  Dis- 
armament Conference.  Such  a  group  can  well  establish  official 
connection  with  the  Federal  Council  Commission  and  receive  com- 
munications directly  from  them.  The  church  can,  in  this  way, 
secure  the  voice  of  the  total  conscience  of  the  religious  forces  of  the 
community. 

Commission  on  International  Justice  and  Good-will 

The  Protestant  churches  should  organize  nationally,  under  the 
Commission  on  International  Justice  and  Good-will  of  the  Federal 
Council  of  Churches.  This  Commission  has  been  doing  excellent 
work  in  voicing  the  mind  of  the  Protestant  churches  relative  to  the 
issues  which  now  face  the  nation .     They  also  form  a  contact  between 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD        89 

our  national  group  of  churches  and  the  Protestant  churches  of  other 
lands.  This  is  essential,  if  the  mind  of  the  church  is  to  be  effective 
beyond  national  lands. 

The  Church  Peace  Union 

The  Church  Peace  Union  may  well  form  a  connecting  organiza- 
tion which  will  federate  the  activities  of  the  Roman  Catholic, 
Jewish  and  Protestant  churches.  This  organization  has  been 
liberally  endowed,  and  is  able  to  carry  forward  projects  not  possible 
by  any  single  religious  group.  At  present,  it  represents  an  effective 
force  for  the  co-ordination  of  the  religious  forces  of  America,  which 
have  a  common  point  of  view  with  reference  to  international 
relations. 

1.  What  is  the  relationship  between  the  Missionary  Program  of  the  church  and 

international  relations? 

2.  Does  the  Missionary  Program  imply  certain  political  relationships  if  it  is  to  be 

fulfilled? 

3.  What  are  some  of  the  principles  which  a  Christian  policy  in  international 

relationships  will  demand? 

4.  How  could  a  local  church  educate  its  own  constituency  and  the  public  in  such 

matters? 

5.  Who  are  your   representatives   in   the  Senate  and  in  Congress,  and  how  have 

they  voted  on  recent  questions  of  international  moment? 


90  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 


Part  II 
PRACTICAL  METHODS  AND  SUGGESTIONS 

Without  overloading  the  text,  it  was  not  possible  to  insert 
material  contained  in  Part  II  in  Part  I.  For  those  who  are  inter- 
ested in  formulating  programs  and  courses  of  action  this  material 
is  important,  because  it  is  suggestive  and  gives  detailed  information. 
We  have  chosen  here  to  give  concrete  material  rather  than  state- 
ments of  principles.  For  instance,  we  believe  that  a  program  of  a 
conference  actually  held,  or  a  program  actually  carried  out  in  a 
church,  is  more  important  in  this  section  than  the  theory  of 
what  a  conference  ought  to  be,  or  what  a  church  ought  to  do.  By 
thorough  study  of  this  material,  it  ought  to  be  possible  for  inter- 
ested persons  or  groups  to  formulate  their  own  programs  for  social 
action,  which  is,  after  all,  the  most  desirable  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  author.  He  has  not  desired  to  furnish  churches  with  "  ready 
to-wear  "  social  garments.  He  would  rob  no  church  or  group  the 
privilege  of  formulating  its  own  program. 


PART  II 

Section   A 

THE  FELLOWSHIP  PRINCIPLE  IN  SOCIAL 
ACTION 

1.    THE   INTER-RACIAL  COMMITTEE 

One  of  the  outstanding  illustrations  of  the  attempt  to  apply 
the  fellowship  method  in  the  solution  of  social  problems  is  the 
Atlanta  Plan  of  Inter-Racial  Cooperation.  This  is  a  straightfor- 
ward, honest  effort  of  two  races,  —  not  independently,  but  face  to 
face,  —  to  solve  their  common  problems.  The  organization  is 
duplicated  by  both  races,  and  the  leaders  thus  elected  come  to- 
gether from  time  to  time  and  receive  into  themselves  the  shock  of 
the  racial  conflict,  and  seek  to  do  away  with  the  sources  of  irritation 
before  they  have  become  the  cause  of  open  conflict.  The  plan  of 
organization  is  as  follows : 

THE  CHRISTIAN  COUNCIL  —  CONSTITUENCY  AND  ORGANIZATION 

1.  Membership. 

a.  The  Evangelical  Ministers'  Association.     All  ministers  in  Atlanta  and 

environs,  acknowledging  Jesus  Christ  as  Divine  Lord  and  Saviour. 

b.  Congregational  and  Religious  Institutional  Representation.    Pastor  and 

two  Lay  Representatives  from  each  constituent  congregation,  ap- 
pointed in  regular  form  by  the  congregation.  General  secretaries  of 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Three  Counsellors  from  Salvation 
Army  and  others. 

2.  Executive  Committee. 

c.  Officers  of  the  Organization. 

b.  Committee  on  Church  Cooperation. 

c.  Standing  Committees  on  Racial  Relationship,  Civic   Betterment,  Law 

Enforcement,  Education,  Evangelism  and  Prayer  Meetings,  Indus- 
trial Relations,  Public  Presentation,  Finance. 


92  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

3.  Commissions.  Consisting  of  twenty  to  twenty-five  members  each,  includ- 
ing members  of  corresponding  Standing  Committees  of  Executive  Committee. 

a.  Religious  Work. 

b.  Racial  Relationship. 

c.  Industrial  and  Economic. 

d.  Civic. 

e.  Women's  Work. 

Bishop  R.  E.  Jones  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  of  Louisiana 
thus  outlines  the  program.  "  If  the  churches  cannot  function  in  the  inter-racial 
program,  we  cannot  hope  for  the  movement  to  succeed.  Everything  in  the  church 
life  is  conducive  to  inter-racial  cooperation.  Within  the  church,  there  should  be 
a  minimum  of  suspicion  and  mistrust,  and  a  maximum  of  good-will  and  mutual 
helpfulness,  and  if  white  and  black  alike  regard  Jesus  Christ  as  the  active  leader 
of  the  church,  and  his  teachings  the  basis  of  our  Christian  life,  then  we  shall  have 
little  or  no  difficulty  in  inter-racial  cooperation,  for  in  Christ  is  neither  Greek  nor 
Jew  nor  Gentile,  nor  bond  nor  free." 

"  Wherein  may  the  White  and  Colored  Churches  Cooperate? 

"  First.  —  White  and  colored  preachers  in  every  community  in  the  South 
should  meet  at  least  once  a  month  for  the  discussion  of  community,  educational, 
and  religious  activities.  Some  will  think  this  impossible,  but  it  is  quite  practical 
and  has  been  in  vogue  in  a  number  of  communities. 

"  Second.  —  Each  local  inter-racial  committee  ought  to  have  a  sub-commit- 
tee on  inter-racial  cooperation  between  the  churches.  The  members  of  this 
committee  ought  to  be  outstanding  men  of  both  races, — not  less  than  three  and 
perhaps  not  more  than  five,  but  they  should  be  the  best  men;  wise,  discreet, 
tactful,  but  courageous. 

"  Third.  —  For  the  present,  the  white  ministers  should  fill  the  pulpits  of 
Negro  churches  as  often  as  possible,  and  they  should  preach  a  pure  gospel  without 
seeking  to  give  the  Negroes  patronizing  advice. 

"  Fourth.  —  Negro  choirs  and  quartettes  and  soloists  could  be  asked  to  sing 
in  the  white  churches  of  the  South. 

"  Fifth.  —  Community  Sunday  schools  should  be  developed  in  the  needy 
sections  of  the  city, — and  in  the  rural  sections  for  that  matter, —  and  consecrated 
white  men  and  women  invited  to  teach  in  them." 


2.    THE   INDUSTRIAL   CONFERENCE 

Class  consciousness,  like  racial  consciousness,  could  be  bridged 
by  the  fellowship  method  if  a  sufficient  number  of  people  really- 
believed  in  it  and  were  willing  to  accept  it  as  a  way  of  life,  rather 
than  the  war  method  in  which  men  now  seem  to  have  such  supreme 
confidence.  The  conferences  on  Religious  Ideals  in  Industrial 
Relations,  now  being  conducted  by  the  churches,  call  for  the  coming 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  93 

together  of  employer  and  employee  with  representatives  of  the 
church,  in  order  that  in  common  counsel  the  way  of  right  may  be 
discovered.  The  program  of  such  a  conference  held  in  the  city  of 
Boston  is  here  given: 

PROGRAM 
Sunday,  November  13 
Mass  Meeting  Faneuil  Hall  2.30  P.M. 

under  the  auspices  of 
THE  BOSTON  CENTRAL  LABOR  UNION 
Chairman,  William  Doherty,  President  Central  Labor  Union. 
Theme  —  Religious  Ideals  in  Industrial  Relations. 

Speakers 
Dr.  Charles  S.  MacFarland,  General  Secretary,  Federal  Council. 
Rev.  Louis  N.  Epstein,  Rabbi,  Beth  Hamidrash  Hagodol. 
Father  Jones  I.  Corrigan,  S.  J.,  Professor  of  Social  Ethics,  Boston  College. 
Arthur  Nash,  President  A.  Nash  Company,  Inc.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Daniel  J.  Tobin,  Treasurer,  American  Federation  of  Labor. 


Forum  3.15  P.M. 
Old  South  Meeting  House 
Washington  and  Milk  Streets 
Chairman,  George  W.  Coleman,  President  Babson  Institute. 
Theme  —  Should  Workers  and  Employers  Cooperate  or  Fight? 

Speaker 
Rev.  Richard  W.  Hogue,  Secretary  Church  League  for  Industrial  Democracy. 

Open  Forum 

Unity  House  7  Park  Square  7.30  P.M. 

Speaker 

Arthur  Nash  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


Monday,  November  14 
In  the  Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  136  Bowdoin  Street.     10.00  A.  M. 
Union  meeting  of  all  the  ministers  of  Greater  Boston. 
Theme  —  "The  Church  and  Industrial  Reconstruction." 
Chairman,  Rev.  Ernest  G.  Guthrie,  President  Greater  Boston  Federation. 

Speakers 
Rev.   Worth   M.  Tippy,   D.D.,   Executive  Secretary   Commission  on   the 

Church  and  Social  Service,  Federal  Council. 
Twenty  minute  addresses  with  thirty  minute  periods  of  discussion. 


94  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

The  City  Club  12.30  P.M. 

Labor,  Management  and  Clergy  at  Lunch 
Speakers 
Address:  Responsibilities  of  Management. 

William  C.  Coleman,  President  Coleman  Lamp  Company,  Wichita,  Kan. 
Address:  A  Message  from  the  Church  to  the  Leaders  of  Industry. 
Dr.  Worth  M.  Tippy,  Federal  Council  Commission  on  the  Church  and  Social 
Service. 


In  the  Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
136  Bowdoin  Street 
Conference  on  Unemployment 
Chairman,  Professor  Felix  Frankfurter,  Harvard  University  Law  School. 

Speakers 

1.  What  can  the  Church  do  in  the  Present  Emergency? 

Henry  K.  Rowe,  Professor  of  Social  Science  and  History,  Newton  Theological 
Institution. 

Discussion 

2.  Preparation  for  the  Next  Period  of  Unemployment. 

a.  Deeper-Lying  Causes  of  Industrial  Depression. 

Edward  E.  Day,  Professor  of  Economics,  Harvard  University. 

b.  Corporation  Sinking  Funds. 

Dr.  F.  Ernest  Johnson,  Research  Secretary,  Federal  Council. 

c.  Organized  System  of  Labor  Exchange. 

Isaac  Litchfield,  Organizer  of  Public  Service  Reserve. 

d.  Unemployment  Insurance,  Review  of  British  Experience. 

Rev.    Richard   W.   Hogue,   Executive  Secretary   Church   League  for 
Industrial  Democracy. 


Discussion 
Union  Congregational  Church  6.00  P.M. 

Columbus  Avenue  and  West  Newton  Street 
Dinner  for  Adult  Class  Teachers,  Forum  Leaders,  Presiding  Officers  of  Men's 

and  Women's  Organizations  in  Greater  Boston  Churches. 
Theme  —  "Social  and  Industrial  Study  Courses." 

Speakers 
Rev.  Samuel  Z.  Batten,  D.D.,  Social  Service  Secretary,  Baptist  Churches. 
Rev.  F.  Ernest  Johnson,  Ph.D.,  Research  Secretary,  Federal  Council's  Com- 
mission on  the  Church  and  Social  Service. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD       95 

Young  Women's  Christian  Association  Building 
6.00  P.M. 
37^  Beacon  Street 
Business  Women's  Dinner 
Speakers 
William  C.  Coleman,  President  Coleman  Lamp  Company,  Wichita,  Kan. 
Mrs.  Mary  Thompson,  Textile  Workers'  Union. 


Trinity  Church  Copley  Square  8.00  P.M. 

Community  Service 
Rev.  Alexander  Mann,  D.D.,  Rector  Trinity  Church,  officiating. 
Address:  "  The  Golden  Rule  in  Operation  in  a  Factory." 
Arthur  Nash,  President  A.  Nash  Company,  Inc.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


Tuesday,  November  15 
First  Church  in  Boston  8  P.M. 

Marlboro  and  Newbury  Streets 
Speaker 
Henry  S.  Dennison,  President  Dennison  Manufacturing  Company. 


Section  B 

THE  FELLOWSHIP  PRINCIPLE  IN  SOCIAL 
EDUCATION 

1.     ORGANIZATION  AND  PROGRAM  OF  ACTIVITIES  IN 
BIBLE  CLASSES  AND  MEN'S  CLUBS 

It  cannot  too  often  be  said  that  any  church  and  any  group 
must  first  determine  for  itself  what  it  wants  to  be  and  then  let  it 
decide  what  it  wants  to  do. 

The  fellowship  idea  in  education  calls  for  a  cooperating  group 
of  people  who  are  setting  for  themselves  a  common  goal  of  Christian 
service  in  the  life  of  which  they  are  a  part.  The  child  moves 
forward  from  a  period  of  dependence  up  through  obedience  to  co- 
operation and  independence.  There  will  be  less  initiative  in  the 
groups  of  the  younger  departments  in  the  church.  And  yet  the 
activities  of  any  group  are  not  to  be  imposed  from  the  outside. 
Only  as  the  teacher  or  leader  identifies  himgelf  with  the  group,  so 
that  his  goal  is  also  the  goal  which  the  group  wants  to  set  for  itself, 


96  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

are  the  activities  wholesome  and  normal.  We  have  purposely 
given  first  the  adult  groups,  because  they  are  examples  of  brotherly 
organizations  which  have  developed  capacity  and  initiative  in  out- 
lining their  own  program. 

A   BROTHERHOOD   WITHIN   THE   CHURCH 

Name  The Men's  Club. 

Type  of  Community      Small  rural  community  with   a  near-by 

Agricultural  College. 
Type  of  Organization     Community  Club. 
Membership  Open    to    all    men    in    the    community. 

Average  attendance  about  fifty. 

Distinctive  Features: 

The  Club  has  the  regular  officers,  but  has  no  elaborate  constitution  and  by- 
laws. 

Meetings  held  monthly.  Supper  served  and  paid  for  by  the  men  at  the 
table.  When  money  is  needed  for  special  purposes  the  hat  is  passed  around. 
Group  singing  is  a  feature  of  each  meeting. 

A  Men's  Bible  Class  meets  in  the  church  each  Sunday  morning,  where  a 
large  number  of  the  members  come  together  for  Bible  study. 

The  Club  adopts  a  program  for  each  year's  work  and  the  program  for  the 
past  year  was  as  follows: 

A  YEAR'S   PROGRAM   OF  SOCIAL  ACTIVITIES 

September 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 

Get-together  supper  prepared  by  the  men  themselves. 
Subject:    "  Plans  for  Another  Year." 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

Community  Clam  Bake  in  a  grove  by  the  sea,  including  field  sports,  out- 
door community  singing,  etc.  All  community  organizations  invited, 
namely:  Women's  Club,  Parent-Teachers'  Association,  etc.  The  chief 
feature  of  this  picnic  was  the  series  of  reports  which  came  from  the 
several  organizations.  Thus  the  entire  community  sat  in  judgment  on 
the  work  of  its  organizations  and  listened  to  future  plans. 
October 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 
Harvest  Home  Supper  and  Barn  Dance. 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

The  securing  of  adequate  athletic  field  for  boys. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  97 

November 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 

"  Two  Bit  Bean  Supper  "  served  by  ladies  of  the  church. 
Subject:   "  Our  Schools."     Speaker,  School  superintendent. 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

Raised  funds  to  send  delegation  of  boys  to  State  "  Y  "  Conference.     Poor 
girl  taken  to  hospital  for  operation. 

December 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 

Fifty  Cent  Supper  served  by  Domestic  Science  Club  in  the  high  school. 
Subject:    "  The  Club  and  the  Church." 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

Cooperation  with  churches  in  arranging    Christmas  Eve   Community 
Carol  Service. 

January 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 

Beef  Steak  Supper  prepared  by  the  men  themselves. 

Subject:   "  Public  Health."     Illustrated  talk  by  a  leading  physician. 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

Committee    appointed    to    cooperate    with     proper    health    authorities. 
Minstrel  Show  by  members  to  replenish  club  treasury. 

February 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 
Father  and  Son  Banquet. 

Subject:   "  Lincoln."     Outside  speaker. 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

Report  of  Health  Committee.     Plan  to  cooperate  with    community  or- 
ganizations to  secure  and  support  a  District  Nurse. 

March 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 
Stand-up  Supper  at  close  of  meeting. 

Subject:   "  The  Town  Warrant."     Speakers:  The  Selectmen. 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

Farmers'  Institute  projected;   housing  committee  appointed  to  take  care 
of  over-flow  of  students. 

April 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 
Regular  Supper. 

Subject:   "  Civic  Responsibility." 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

Planting  Fruit  Trees.     "  Clean  Up  and  Paint  Up  Week." 


98  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

May 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 
Ladies'  Night  with  Banquet. 

Topic:   "  The  Ladies."     Musical  program  by  men. 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 
Projection  of  Community  Memorial  Day  Services. 

June 

1.  Nature  of  Monthly  Meeting. 
Regular  Supper. 

Subject:   "  History  of  Our  Town." 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

A  pageant  embodying  the  history  of  the  town  arranged  and  put  on  by  the 
Club. 
July  and  August 

1.  No  regular  meetings  and  suppers. 

2.  Club  Project  for  Community  Service. 

Club  raised  funds  and  furnished  automobiles  to  carry  fifty  boys  on  a 
camping  trip  to  the  mountains.  They  carried  the  Camp  Fire  Girls  to 
the  beach.  They  arranged  and  supervised  the  Fourth  of  July  Celebra- 
tion. They  cooperated  with  the  Sunday  schools  in  their  summer 
picnics.  They  promoted  outdoor  athletics  and  gave  their  support  to 
local  baseball  clubs. 

A  SISTERHOOD  WITHIN   THE   CHURCH 

Name  The  Worth -While  Class. 

Membership  Not  denominational,  any  young  woman  interested  in 
worth-while  ideals  eligible  to  membership,  no  age 
limit,  majority  of  class  composed  of  working  girls, 
although  there  are  a  few  married  women  with 
families. 

Officers  President,  Vice-President,  Secretary,  Treasurer  and 

Purchasing  Agent,  Corresponding  Secretary,  Em- 
ployment Secretary  (finds  out  interest  of  new  girls 
and  places  them  at  work  in  the  class).  Tele- 
phone Secretary. 

Distinctive  Features 
1.  One  central  organization  —  the  Bible  Class,  meeting  Sunday  morning  for 
serious  Bible  study.  Reference  books  such  as  those  by  Moulton,  Shailer  Mat- 
thews, Bade,  Dodds,  Rice  and  others  used  (alternating  with  Bible  Study  at  pres- 
ent, the  New  Westminster  Standard  Course  for  Teacher  Training,  by  Weigle, 
Kerr  and  Veach  is  being  used  as  a  text). 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD       99 

2.  Departments  of  Work.  All  work  arranged  at  hours  in  which  the  girls  who 
work  may  attend.  A  girl  may  belong  to  one  or  all  of  these  departments.  There 
is  no  organization  for  the  department  other  than  a  director  for  each. 

a.  Glee  Club  —  in  second  year;    practices  once  a  week,  six  o'clock.     The 

club  is  frequently  the  guest  of  the  Young  Men's  Club  at  their  Thursday 
Night  Supper. 

b.  Athletic  Club  —  in  third  year;   tennis;   basketball;   swimming.     Meets 

twice  a  week  the  year  round. 

c.  Social  Service.     Recently  placed  in  Presbyterian  orphanage  a  little  seven- 

year-old  girl,  daughter  of  a  former  member  of  the  class  who  died  last 
spring.  Class  pays  all  expenses  including  board,  clothing,  etc.  Helped 
build  new  Union  Sunday  school;  support  protective  home  for  girls; 
numerous  other  activities.  Conducted  study  of  community  and  its 
social  needs. 

3.  Monthly  Business  Meeting.  Lunch  served,  the  girls  coming  directly 
from  work.  Allowance  per  person  from  treasury  for  lunch.  Girls  take  turn  at 
being  hostesses.  Every  girl  has  a  chance  to  entertain  the  class.  Success  of 
business  meeting  and  party  depends  upon  interest  and  initiative  of  hostesses 
rather  than  on  money  expended. 

4.  The  Class  Bulletin.  In  third  year;  published  every  three  weeks;  keeps 
class  informed  of  activities  of  different  departments  —  mailing  list  of  twenty-six. 
Girls  who  have  gone  to  other  cities  to  work  or  who  have  married  and  have  moved 
away  receive  this  Bulletin. 

5.  Annual  Functions.  Class  Banquet,  the  one  formal  function  of  the  year. 
Each  girl  is  allowed  to  bring  a  guest.  The  Easter  Breakfast.  Home  Coming 
Day.  At  this  time  effort  is  made  to  have  a  letter  or  message  read  from  every 
girl  who  has  ever  belonged  to  the  class,  who  is  unable  to  attend.  If  the  weather 
permits,  the  breakfast  is  given  in  a  near-by  park,  otherwise  in  the  class  room  of 
the  church. 

6.  Money.  No  regular  dues  or  public  pledges,  because  of  the  varying 
financial  status  of  the  members.  Each  girl  pays  into  the  treasury  what  she  wishes 
each  Sunday.  About  once  a  year  some  entertainment  is  given  to  raise  extra 
funds. 

2.    A  SUGGESTED  SOCIAL  SERVICE  IN  THE  VARIOUS 
DEPARTMENTS  OF  THE  CHURCH  SCHOOL 

The  Fellowship  Method  in  the  Church  School 

The  value  of  the  following  programs  of  action  lies  only  in  their 
suggestiveness.  They  are  useless  as  catalogues  of  action  which 
have  value  in  themselves.  Only  as  groups  may  undertake  them 
with  a  self-imposed  purpose,  can  they  have  any  value.     Even  then 


IOO 


SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 


it  is  entirely  conceivable  that  any  group  may  and  should  outline 
for  itself  courses  of  action  which  are  more  truly  expressive  of  a 
common  brotherly  purpose.  For  a  teacher  to  impose  these  activi- 
ties in  a  class  would  represent  failure. 

KINDERGARTEN    DEPARTMENT* 


Object  of  Service 
Church  and  Home 


The  Community 
The  Larger  World 

Animals 


Ages  three  to  five 

Forms  of  Service 

1.  Folding  papers  and  inclosing  them  in  envelopes  to  be 

sent  to  absent  and  sick  classmates. 

2.  Preparing  pictures  and  small  scrapbooks  for  members 

suffering  from  prolonged  illness. 

1.  Gift  to  a  Day  Nursery. 

2.  Filling  envelopes  with  beads,  thread  and  needle,  and 

making  small  scrapbooks  for  children's  hospital. 

1.  Providing  equipment  or  contributing    to  the  support 

of  a  kindergarten. 

2.  Making  small  scrapbooks  with  Biblical    pictures   for 

children  in  a  mission  field. 

1.  Providing  water  and  food  for  birds. 

2.  When  the  kindergarten  meets  through  the  week  as 

well  as  on  Sunday  this  can  easily  be  done. 


preparation    of 


PRIMARY   DEPARTMENT 

Ages  six  to  nine 

Forms  of  Service 

1.  Assisting     kindergarten    teacher   i 
material  (girls). 

2.  Sunday-school  messenger  service  (boys). 

3.  Beautifying  their  room. 

4.  Boys'  choir. 

1.  Making  paper  houses,  furniture,  dolls  and  doll  dresses 
for  a  home  for  foundlings. 

2.  Making  scrapbooks  for  children's  hospital. 

3.  Utilization  of  postcards. 

4.  Pooling  toys  for  orphanage. 

(Quoted  from  "  Graded  Social  Service  for  the  Sunday  School,"  by  W. 
Norman  Hutchins.  Used  by  permission  of  the  University  of  Chicago  Press, 
Chicago,  111.) 


Objects  of  Service 
Church  and  Home 


The  Community 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD 


IOI 


The  Larger  World 


Animals 


5.  Making  May  baskets  to  be  sent  to  a  home  for  crippled 

children. 

6.  Occasional    concerts  by  boys'  choir  at  old  people's 

home. 

1.  Supporting  a  kindergarten  in  a  mission  field. 

2.  Making  collapsible  paper  houses    and  furniture  and 

cutting  out  paper  dolls  and   dresses  to  be  sent  to 
children  in  some  mission  field. 

3.  Making  scrapbooks  to  be  sent  abroad. 

4.  Utilization  of  postcards. 

1.   Preparation  of  bandages  for  injured  animals,  to  be 
used  by  Humane  Society. 


Objects  of  Service 
Church  and  Home 


The  Community 


The  Larger  World 


JUNIOR    DEPARTMENT 

Ages  ten  to  thirteen 

Forms  of  Service 

1.  Looking  after  their  own  classmates. 

2.  Beautifying  their  room  by  a  gift. 

3.  Mass  Club  for  boys. 

4.  Girls'  chorus  choir. 

5.  Making  and  securing  illustrative  objects  for  Sunday- 

school  lessons. 

6.  Assisting  at  church  functions. 

1.  Collecting  and  arranging  duplicate  stamps  from  their 

own  collection  for  boys  in  a  home  for  dependent 
boys. 

2.  Making  games,  puzzles,  and  reins  for  boys  in  orphan- 

age. 

3.  Raising  popcorn  and  gathering  nuts  for  home  for  crip- 

pled children. 

4.  Making  candy  and  popcorn  balls  for  orphanage  for 

settlement. 

5.  Making  kimonos,  surprise  bags,  and  bedroom  slippers 

for  hospitals. 

6.  Dressing  dolls  for  orphanage. 

7.  Growing  flowers  for  flower  mission. 

8.  Occasional  concerts  by  girls'  chorus  choir. 

9.  Selling  Red  Cross  Christmas  seals. 

1.  Gifts  of  games  and  puzzles  of  own  make  to  Grenfell 

mission  or  an  Indian  mission,  or  southern  mountain- 
eers. 

2.  Dressing  dolls  to  be  used  in  the  same  way. 


102 


SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 


Animals 


Objects  of  Service 
Church  and  Home 


The  Community 


The  Larger  World 


3.  Collecting  Sunday-school  papers  and  helps  to  be  sent 

abroad. 

4.  July  Christmas  tree. 

5.  Making  workbags  and  furnishing  them  with  needles, 

thread,  yarn,  buttons,  and  other  useful  articles  for 
seamen. 

6.  Gift  of  money  to  a  school  like  Tuskegee. 

1.  Making  birds'  nests. 

2.  Gift  of  money  to  Humane  Society. 

HIGH  SCHOOL  DEPARTMENT 

Ages  fourteen  to  seventeen 

Forms  of  Service 

1.  Looking  after  their  own  classmates. 

2.  Interesting  themselves  in  younger  boys  and  girls  of 
the  school. 

3.  Messenger  cadets. 

4.  Editing  Sunday-school  department  of  church  papers. 

5.  Beautifying  their  own  room. 

6.  Designing  posters  and  place-cards  for  the  lunch  func- 
tions. 

7.  Contributions  to  current  expenses  of  the  church. 

1.  Providing  a  scholarship  for  a  boy  or  girl,  under  the 
the  direction  of  the  Juvenile  Protective  Association. 

2.  Remailing    Youth's  Companion  and  other  papers. 

3.  Helping  at  social  centers  in  games  and  gymnasium 
classes. 

4.  Telling  stories  and  directing  appropriate  games  of 
Sunday  at  social  center. 

5.  Giving  a  picnic  to  a  group  of  children. 

6.  Providing  a  week  in  the  country  for  a  boy  or  girl. 

7.  Making  fireless  cookers  and  ice-boxes  and  screens  under 
the  direction  of  the  visiting  housekeeper  of  the 
United  Charities. 

8.  Making  jelly  or  grape  juice  as  a  class,  for  District 
Nurses'  Association. 

9.  Tearing  up  bandages  for  District  Nurses'  Association. 

10.  Making  simple  garments  according  to  patterns. 

11.  Collecting  magazines  for  almshouses  or  hospitals. 

1.  Collecting  papers  to  be  sent  abroad. 

2.  Making  sheets,  pillow  slips,  quilts,  and  simple  gar- 
ments for  Grenfell  mission. 

3.  Educating  a  boy  or  girl  in  some  foreign  country. 

4.  Simple  missionary  plays. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD 


103 


Animals  1.  Reporting  to  Anti-Cruelty  Society  all  stray  dogs  and 

cats. 
2.  Furnishing  a  drinking  fountain. 

YOUNG  PEOPLE'S   DEPARTMENT 

Ages  eighteen  to  twenty-one 
Objects  of  Service  Forms  of  Service 

Church  and  Home  1.  Regular  contributions  to  the  current  expenses  of  the 

church. 

2.  Promotion  of  class  welfare  and  friendly  oversight  of 

class  members. 

3.  Personal  interest  in  boys  and  girls  of  the  church. 

4.  Conducting  walks  and  talks  on  Sunday  afternoon. 

5.  Editing  class  paper. 

6.  Ushering. 

7.  Rallying  of  the  young  people  to  attend  church  func- 

tions. 
The  Community  1.  Entertaining  at  the  home  church  a  group  from  a 

settlement. 

2.  Friendly  visiting. 

3.  Making  layettes  for  District  Nurses'  Association. 

4.  Tutoring  backward  children. 

5.  Outings  and  picnics  for  poor  children. 

6.  Serving    at     social    centers  —  teaching,    conducting 

games,  leading  classes. 

7.  Providing  a   pleasant  Sunday  afternoon   for  young 

men  and  women  who  live  in  boarding-houses. 

[8.  Reading  to  the  sick,  the  aged,  and  the  blind. 

9.  Singing  at  Old  People's  Home. 

10.  Giving  entertainments  at  almshouses  and  asylums. 

11.  Auto  rides  for  shut-ins  and  convalescents. 

12.  Disposing  of  work  made  by  inmates  of  almshouse. 

13.  Clerical  work  at  district  office  of  United  Charities. 

14.  Accompanying    patients    to    clinics,    and    friends    of 

patients  to  visit  them  at  hospital,  house  of  correc- 
tion, etc. 

15.  Community  Survey. 

16.  Cooperating  with  the  United  Charities    in  assisting 

family. 

17.  Assisting  in  Sunday  evenjng  chapel  services  at  county 

hospital. 

18.  Contributing  to  outgoing  patient's  wardrobe. 
The  Larger  World          1.  Adoption  of  the  church  scheme  of  benevolence. 

2.  More  elaborate  missionary  plays. 
Animals  Cooperation  with   humane  and  anti-cruelty  societies. 


104  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

3.    STATEMENT  CONCERNING  FORUM  IN  CHURCH 

The  Forum  is  an  attempt  to  apply  the  law  of  the  face-to-face 
relationship  in  education. 

The  following  statement  concerning  a  forum  conducted  in 
Sheridan,  Wyoming,  during  the  season  of  1920-21,  which  was 
probably  more  expensive  than  the  average  forum,  gives  some  indi- 
cation of  what  is  to  be  expected  if  a  church  decides  to  conduct  an 
Open  Forum: 

Facts  concerning  the  season  of  1920-21: 

1.  The  First  open  forum  in  Wyoming. 

2.  Fourteen  meetings  were  held,  commencing  Sunday,  Nov.  7th  and  con- 
cluding Sunday,  Feb.  6th. 

3.  Attendance  was  300  to  700  and  an  average  of  400  for  that  period. 

4.  Cost  was  nearly  $1,200.  Due  to  the  fact  that  one  of  the  last  speakers 
came  without  expense  to  the  forum  there  is  a  balance  of  about  $70.  This  will  be 
held  pending  forum  arrangements  for  next  season. 

5.  Speakers  from  four  states  appeared  on  the  Forum  Platform. 

6.  The  subjects  presented  were  as  follows:  — 
"  Feeding  the  World:  Is  it  America's  Job?  " 
"  The  Truth  about  Russia." 

"  The  Golden  Rule  in  Business:   Is  it  Practicable?  " 

"  Community  Problems." 

"  The  Church  and  Industrial  Conflict." 

"  The  America  of  Tomorrow." 

"  The  City  Manager  Form  of  Municipal  Government." 

"  The  Merchant  and  the  Profiteer. 

"  America  and  the  Orient." 

"  Bolshevism." 

"  Our  National  Forests." 

"  Organized  Labor  and  the  Community." 

"  The  Farmers'  Movement  in  America." 

"  The  Present  Price  Situation." 

7.  The  speakers  are  classified  as  follows:  — 
Two  Merchants 

Two  Editors 

Five  College  Professors 

One  Labor  Leader 

One  College  President 

One  United  States  Forester 

One  United  States  Agriculturalist 

One  Lecturer 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  105 

Financial  Statement 

Receipts 

Underwriters    (men    of   St.    Peter's   and    Congregational 

Churches) $473.00 

Donations  (January  2) 274.13 

Collections  (14  meetings) 521.30 

$1,268.43 

Disbursements 

Speakers  Expenses  and  Fees $657.14 

Printing  and  Advertising 194.60 

Postage,  wires  and  telephone 62.59 

Stenographer's  Service 3.50 

Dues,  National  Forum  Council 5.00 

Heat,  Light  and  Church  Organist 70.00 

Miscellaneous  Expense 6.50 

Balance  on  hand $69.10    $1,268.43 


Section  C 

EXAMPLES  OF  OCCUPATIONAL  ADAPTATION 
BY  SOME  AMERICAN  CHURCHES 

Group  adaptation  on  the  part  of  churches  has  not  yet  been 
standardized.  That  it  will  become  increasingly  so,  there  seems  to 
be  no  doubt.  We  are  not  trying  here  to  outline  "  par-calendars  " 
for  churches  in  various  types  of  communities.  It  has  been  our 
purpose  to  reflect  the  important  activities  of  churches  which  are 
making  this  adjustment,  and  to  throw  upon  each  church  the  neces- 
sity of  outlining  its  own  program  while  having  before  it  the  pro- 
grams of  other  churches.  We  have  given  the  names  of  important 
churches,  with  the  expectation  that  where  ministers  care  to  do  so, 
they  may  investigate  the  programs  of  these  churches  still  further. 

In  studying  these  programs  it  is  well  to  ask  the  following 
questions: 

1.  How  far  is  the  church  succeeding  in  adjusting  its  message 
to  the  psychology  of  the  group  it  is  trying  to  reach? 

2.  How  far  is  it  adjusting  its  programs  of  worship,  education, 
to  the  mental  and  moral  conditions  of  the  people? 


106  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

3.  How  far  is  the  church  adjusting  itself,  as  an  institution,  to 
the  other  institutions  of  the  community?  Is  it  making  an  adequate 
social  adaptation? 

1.    ADAPTATION  TO  THE    FARMER'S    GROUP 

CHURCH  A 

Rural  —  Village. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Work  divided  into  three  departments  —  Evangelism,  Education  and  Social. 

Evangelism  —  Staff:  Deacons,  superintendent  and  his  assistants,  ali  the 
teachers  of  the  Sunday  school,  the  chorister  and  members  of  the  choir.  Plan 
evangelistic  campaigns  once  a  year.     Took  in  over  200  in  the  last  four  years. 

Educational  Department  —  Staff:  Superintendent  of  the  Bible  school, 
principal  of  the  school,  the  doctor  of  the  village,  and  president  of  the  Farmers' 
Association,  the  County  Agent,  and  two  of  the  Agricultural  Bureaus. 

Plan  for  lectures  during  fall  and  winter.  Engage  speakers  who  will  interest 
farmers  in  their  method  of  work. 

Social  Program.  Organization  of  men  and  young  men  called  "  The  Com- 
munity League  "  of  over  one  hundred  members.  Meet  once  a  month.  Also 
have  women  and  young  women  members  of  the  League.  Seek  to  enlist  every  man 
and  woman  of  good  moral  character.  From  this  have:  Orchestra  and  band; 
singing  class  of  over  65  members  (engage  a  professor  at  $10  a  night  for  this  work) ; 
have  Farmers'  Day  once  a  year,  with  exhibits  and  prizes.  Also  have  a  staff  of 
"  select  "  young  men  and  women  to  devise  ways  and  means  for  wholesome  recrea- 
tion. Plan  "  Rural  Church  Pageant  "  each  year.  Financial  problem  easiest  of 
all.     Generally  place  $1,000  in  bank  each  year. 

CHURCH  B 

Membership  —  162.    Sunday  School  —  154. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Has  Church  and  Community  House.  Latter  is  the  former  Wesley  an  Church, 
whose  congregation  has  merged  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal. 

Has  Lectures  on  Agriculture,  by  men  from  agricultural  colleges.  Gives 
special  attention  to  good  roads  question.     Has  Boy  and  Girl  Scouts. 

Has  a  Sunday  Evening  Forum  Service  six  months  a  year,  managed  in  form 
of  lecture  and  debate.  Committee  on  Current  Problems  has  this  in  charge.  It 
also  reviews  books  on  these  subjects. 

Prayer  Meeting.  Has  a  Brotherhood  Bible  class  instead  of  prayer  meeting. 
It  has  interesting  discussions. 

Sunday  School  has  Graded  Lessons.  Frequently  has  debates  between 
organized  classes. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  107 

CHURCH  C 

Membership  —  170. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Community  Church  where  there  were  Three  Churches.  $12,500  community 
house  in  a  village  of  569  people  (including  three-mile  radius).  Contains  com- 
munity hall  —  which  can  be  used  for  banquets,  gymnasium,  and  socials,  — 
showers,  kitchen,  social  rooms  and  club  rooms. 

Money  for  Community  House.  Two  subscriptions  came  from  Roman 
Catholic  friends,  one  of  which  ($250)  came  unsolicited.  $4,000  from  Board  of 
Home  Missionary  and  Centenary  Funds. 

Program.  Movies  every  two  weeks  at  least;  men's  Community  Club  to 
promote  good  roads,  schools,  marketing  and  other  general  interests;  gymnasium; 
other  church  activities. 

CHURCH  D 

Membership  —  218.     Sunday  School  —  236. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Case  Work  and  Poor  Relief,  in  charge  of  men's  Sunday-school  class  of  forty 
members. 

Has  an  Out-door  Gymnasium,  Boy  Scouts,  Camp  Fire  Girls  and  Girl  Scouts. 

Church  is  being  Made  a  Community  Center  under  control  of  Community 
Church  Committee. 

Forum.  One  night  a  month  —  discussions  on  controversial  subjects  — 
managed  by  Community  Church  Committee.  Discussions  allowed  from  the 
floor. 

Use  of  Buildings.     Public  library,  local  clubs,  and  other  community  meetings. 

Social  and  Athletic  Club  in  Process  of  Organization.  Baseball,  tennis,  and 
other  sports. 

Methodist  Brotherhood  in  course  of  organization. 

Has  Old-type  Revivals  and  prayer  meetings. 

CHURCH  E 

Rural  —  Village 

Membership  —  130.  Sunday  School  —  120.  30  per  cent  tenants;  70  per 
cent  farmers  and  families. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Night  School  for  Tenant  Population.  Encourage  tenants  to  own  homes 
by  securing  tenants  while  paying  for  homes. 

Pastor  Leads  People  in  Road  Building,  farm  betterment  and  school  im- 
provement. 

Boy  Scouts. 

Has  Good  Lyceum  Course. 

Modern  Building.  Building  open  to  community  interest.  Twelve-year 
pastorate. 


108  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE   CHURCHES 

CHURCH  F 

Membership  —  125.     Sunday  School  —  140. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Use  of  Buildings.  "  When  completed  our  building  will  be  used  by  Farmers' 
Union,  Lyceum  courses,  and  for  public  meetings  of  various  kinds  of  community 
betterment.     Best  rooms  for  gatherings  in  the  community." 

Community  Church  under  Presbyterian  Auspices.  Methodists  turned  their 
buildings  and  work  over  to  the  Presbyterians  here  —  a  successful  denominational 
consolidation. 

Motion  Pictures.  "  A  very  helpful  and  necessary  part  of  our  work.  Sun- 
day pictures  used  sparingly.  Too  many  not  helpful.  Use  them  week-day  even- 
ings too." 

Election  Night  had  a  special  wire  to  receive  election  returns  and  give  them  to 
crowd  in  church.  "  This  was  the  first  time  such  a  service  was  held  in  the  church 
or  anywhere  else  in  the  community;  it  was  a  pronounced  success." 

Budget.     $2,000. 

Cooperative  with  Farmers'  Union  and  Grange. 

CHURCH  G 

Membership  —  150.     Sunday  School  —  200. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Church  a  Community  Center.  Building  may  be  used  by  political  groups 
local  clubs,  etc. 

Motion  Pictures.     Used  Sunday  and  work-day  evenings.     Attendance  good. 

Has  Scouts. 

Two  Buildings.     Church  and  manse. 

Best  Part  is  Cooperation  of  Pastor  with  people  in  all  their  interests.  Good 
roads,  pig  clubs.  He  is  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of  Cooperative  Extension 
Work  in  Agriculture  and  Home  Economics,  and  Road  Overseer. 


CHURCH  H 

Distinctive  Features: 

Demonstration  Church.  Model  manse,  five  acre  lot  for  demonstration  farm 
to  be  operated  in  connection  with  the  church,  playground  for  children  and  young 
people  of  the  church.     Also  has  a  circulating  library. 

Sunday  School.  Graded,  A-l  by  both  Presbyterian  and  interdenominational 
standards. 

Boys  Organized  into  Farm  Boy  Cavaliers.  An  Organization  modelled  after 
the  Boy  Scouts  with  adaptations  to  meet  the  needs  of  farm  boys. 


THE  CHURCH   AND  THE  WORLD  109 

CHURCH  I 

Rural  —  Village  and  surrounding  country.     Radius  four  miles. 
Membership  —  190.     Sunday  School  —  130. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Use  of  Buildings.  To  build  new  $40,000  church.  When  they  get  it,  will  let 
local  organizations  use  it  —  the  Grange,  Odd  Fellows,  Civic  Club,  Baseball 
Team,  etc. 

Plans  for  church,  call  for  regular  church  work;  a  banquet  hall,  kitchen  and 
bowling  alleys. 

Union  Church.  Congregational  in  form  and  policy.  "  We  preferred  to  be 
identified  with  a  great  organization." 

Nearest  church  two  miles  away. 

Membership.  One  hundred  and  fifty  well-to-do  and  middle  class,  40  work- 
ing men.  Nationalities:  Danes,  English  and  Americans.  (Fifty  or  more  Danes 
naturalized  farmers.)     Encourages  leadership  on  part  of  Danes  and  English. 

Works  of  Mercy.  "  Board  of  Deacons,  and  the  Women's  Association 
(women  organized  in  one  group  for  all  missionary  purposes  —  and  this  is  great), 
handle  all  relief  work." 

Club  Work.     Has  Boy  Scouts,  Girl  Scouts,  Camp  Fire  Girls. 

Experience.  "  Pastor  ought  not  to  do  the  leading  in  this  type  of  work,  that 
is,  —  ought  not  to  have  to  be  Scout  Master,  etc." 

Men's  Class  has  discussions  on  controversial  questions. 

Notable  Rural  Churches 
Chesterfield  and  Jacobstown  Combined  Baptist  Churches,  Chesterfield,  N.  J. 
Buckton  Community  Church,  Brasher  Falls,  N.  Y. 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Lander,  Pa. 
Prairie  Grove  Community  Church,  Prairie  Grove,  Ark. 
Central  Presbyterian  Church,  Cullucka,  Tenn. 
Community  Presbyterian  Church,  Post  Falls,  Idaho. 
Tennessee  Presbyterian  Church,  U.  S.  A.,  Timpson,  Texas. 
Wallace  Presbyterian  Church,  U.  S.  A.,  College  Station,  Texas. 
Union  Congregational  Church,  Hall,  N.  Y. 

2.     EXAMPLE  OF  THE  ADAPTATION  TO  THE  BUSINESS 

GROUP 
CHURCH  A 

Membership  —  1,000.  Sunday  school  —  700.  (Well-to-do  and  middle 
class.) 

Distinctive  Features: 
Paid  Staff.     Pastor,  church  secretary,  director  of  religious  education,  social 
service  secretary. 

Buildings.     Church  and  parish  house.    Use  —  polling  and  registration  booths 


no  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

each  year.  Used  also  by  local  clubs  and  for  home  bureau,  lectures.  A  Montes- 
sori  school  meets  there  regularly. 

Sunday  Night  Services.  Has  given  them  up.  Has  instead  a  young  people's 
forum,  with  discussion  on  controversial  questions  such  as  labor,  capitalism, 
socialism,  political  issues,  and  others;  allow  discussions  from  the  floor.  Does  not 
pay  speakers.     Has  it  six  or  seven  months  a  year. 

Prayer  Meeting.  Occasional  week-night  meetings.  New  series  with 
supper,  a  few  hymns,  prayer,  and  address  or  lecture  at  tables,  as  at  banquet. 

Evangelism.  During  Lent  the  minister  meets,  every  week,  a  group  of  men 
of  the  church  for  lunch,  and  they  divide  up  names  of  "  prospects  "  for  personal 
approach.     No  revivals. 

Sunday  School.     Graded.     Has  organized  instruction  of  converts. 

Recreational  Features.     Club  work  for  boys  and  girls  (Scouts,  etc.). 

Has  Bowling  Alleys  but  no  Gymnasium.     Experience  —  does  not  pay. 

Advice  on  These  Features.  "  Do  not  put  in  any  apparatus  unless  you  are 
prepared  to  spend  much  more  on  trained  supervision.  Work  without  apparatus 
is  better." 

Motion  Pictures.     Uses  them  occasionally  on  week-day  evenings. 

In  Federation  of  Churches.     Cooperates  with  community  agencies. 

Care  for  Poor.  Has  social  service  department  with  budget  of  $2,500.  Work- 
ing almost  entirely  outside  of  church  neighborhood. 

Parish  House  used  for  all  manner  of  community  enterprises. 

Annual  Budget.     $40,000. 

CHURCH  B 

Membership  —  over  1,000.  Sunday  School  about  700.  90  per  cent  well- 
to-do  and  middle  class. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Use  of  Buildings.  Political  groups;  present  election  was  held  in  church. 
Public  school  Fathers'  and  Sons'  Banquet. 

Sunday  Night  Service.  Musical  Programs,  good  citizenship  addresses, 
motion  pictures,  stereopticon.     Masonic  memorial  services,  pageants. 

Prayer  Meeting.  Dinners  and  special  addresses  once  a  month.  Discussion 
of  public  questions. 

Motion  Pictures.  Uses  them  occasionally  at  Sunday  school  and  week-day 
evenings,  fairly  satisfactory. 

CHURCH  C 

Membership  —  1,000,  about  three  fourths  well-to-do  middle  class. 
Distinctive  Features: 

Neighborhood.     Center  of  downtown  district. 

Paid  Staff.  Besides  the  pastor,  a  secretary  who  is  business  manager  and 
organizer;  all  the  finances  and  records  taken  care  of  in  secretary's  office;  an 
assistant  secretary;    a  kindergartner. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  in 

Buildings.  Church  house.  Auditorium  building  burned,  another  to  be 
begun  in  spring,  1922.  Services  now  held  in  down-town  theatre,  seating  1,400. 
Numerous  agencies  of  all  sorts  have  evening  meetings  and  luncheons  in  the 
church  house,  which  is  in  use  night  and  day. 

Public  Worship.  Stress  the  preaching  of  a  gospel  fitted  to  modern  needs,  in 
spirit  reverent  and  worshipful.  No  evening  service  since  church  burned.  These 
will  be  resumed  when  new  church  is  built  —  always  had  good  congregations  when 
evening  service  was  held. 

Prayer  Meeting.  The  week-night  meetings  are  given  up  to  group  meetings 
for  discussion  of  church  work,  social  purposes,  Sunday-school  dinners,  etc. 

Evangelism.  No  revivals,  but  carries  on  a  constant  educational  campaign  in 
the  interests  of  what  it  believes  to  be  fundamental  Christianity. 

Religious  Education.  No  week-day  religious  instruction,  but  plans  are 
under  consideration  to  open  such  a  school  as  soon  as  new  church  and  church  house 
are  built.  Graded  lessons  used  in  Sunday  school.  Has  organized  instruction  of 
converts.  For  many  years  had  a  successful  class  in  applied  Christianity;  will 
be  renewed.     Has  one-sided  discussions  on  controversial  subjects  by  pastor. 

Recreational  Features.  Has  Boy  Scouts.  A  play-room  to  be  in  the  new 
church  house.  Advice  to  other  churches  —  gymnastic  work  all  depends  on  needs 
of  community.  Believes  church  should  stress  social  and  educational  side  more 
than  physical.  Church  is  divided  into  50  districts  for  organization  of  social  life. 
Women  are  organized  in  ten  live-wire  groups. 

General  Education.  Had,  and  will  have  again  in  new  church,  a  Tuesday 
evening  lecture  and  concert  course  —  22  lectures  and  concerts  for  $1.00.  No 
profit  —  all  proceeds  used  in  making  course  best  possible.  Attendance  averaged 
1,400.  They  are  making  provisions  for  Moving  Pictures  in  new  church.  Pastor 
used  to  give  many  travel  lectures,  using  slides  of  pictures  largely  taken  by  himself 
in  Europe,  as  he  believed  them  to  be  educational  and  entertaining. 

Community  Relations.  No  Federation  of  churches  in  city.  Pastor  states: 
"  Every  Board  in  city  has  one  or  more  of  our  members;  we  help  them  by  coopera- 
tion in  every  possible  way."  Believes  in  working  through  local  existing  agencies 
and  constantly  aims  to  keep  the  people  informed  about  them. 

Works  of  Mercy.  Only  "  our  church  poor."  Women's  organizations  do 
much  for  all  societies  needing  clothes,  etc.     Society  numbers  350. 

Church  Finance.  Contributions  on  Sundays  and  pledges.  No  endowment. 
Annual  budget,  $26,000.     Helps  support  a  colored  church  and  a  white  church. 

CHURCH  D 

Membership — 2,478.  Sunday  School  —  1,803.  Middle  class  and  well- 
to-do. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Affiliated  Church  in  foreign  district. 

Men's  Resort.  Building  for  men  in  transient  district,  classes  frequented  by 
lumber-jacks. 


ii2  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

Club  Work,  but  no  gymnasium,  etc. 

Children's  Sermon  in  morning  service. 

University  Extension  Lectures  and  local  clubs  of  foreign-speaking  people  in 
church  building. 

Evangelism.     "  The  steady  appeal  of  an  evangelistic  ministry." 

Motion  Pictures.  Uses  them  weekday  evenings  occasionally.  Experience 
good. 

Church  in  Federation  of  Churches. 

Care  of  Poor.     Board  of  Deacons. 

In  the  churches  in  residential  centers,  there  is  the  opportunity  for  a  working 
alliance  with  the  home,  and  many  of  the  activities  which  have  a  place  in  other 
types  of  churches  are  absorbed  by  the  home  life.  This  is  good.  It  is  unwise  for 
the  church  to  enter  into  a  competitive  relationship  with  the  home. 

Notable  Churches  Ministering  to  Business  Men 
First  Congregational  Church,  Montclair,  N.  J. 
Fourth  Presbyterian  Church,  Chicago,  111. 
St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  Richmond,  Va. 
Epworth-Eucled  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
First  Baptist  Church,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  Birmingham,  Ala. 

3.     EXAMPLES  OF  ADAPTATION  TO  THE  LABOR  GROUP 

CHURCH  A 

Membership  —  244.  Sunday-school  (enrolment)  460.  Average  attend- 
ance 255,  23  nationalities. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Paid  Staff.     Ten  full  time  and  three  part  time. 

Buildings.     Church  and  Community  House. 

Men's  Clubs.  Organized  with  Men's  Bible  Class  as  basis.  Aim  to  interest 
men  in  "  social,  civic,  political  and  religious  welfare  of  neighborhood." 

Young  Men's  Clubs.  Stress  social  and  recreational,  with  gymnasium  classes, 
debating  clubs,  public  speaking,  glee  clubs  and  parties  for  ladies'  night.  Cooper- 
ate with  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  their  work. 

Boys'  Club.  Sunday-school  classes  as  basis.  Recreational,  social  and  voca- 
tional. Two  gymnasium  periods  a  week.  Two  periods  of  one  hour  each  in  club 
room. 

Women's  Clubs.     Social,  educational,  recreational. 

Girls  and  Young  Business  Women's.  Social.  Also  have  musical  and  drama- 
tic study. 

Model  Flat  of  three  rooms  and  bath  in  community  house.  Instruction  in 
housekeeping.  "  Rolling  Pin  "  department  has  fourteen  gas  plates  for  use  in 
teaching  of  cooking.     Adjunct  of  model  flat.     Teaches  150  girls. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  113 

Three  Tubs  and  six  shower  baths  for  use  of  neighborhood. 

Dispensary.     Later  will  have  a  modified  milk  station  and  kitchen. 

Library.     Has  story  hour  there  for  children. 

Kindergarten. 

Cellar.  Has  provision  "  for  letting  boys  '  rough  house  '  it  a  little  without 
reprimand."  Has  locker  room  there,  with  a  dozen  showers.  Later  when  funds 
permit,  carpentry  will  be  taught  in  the  basement. 

Auditorium  on  second  floor,  seats  1,000.  Four  afternoons  and  evenings  a 
week  it  becomes  a  gymnasium.  Friday  nights,  two  movies.  Six  hundred  children 
average  attendance.  Members  of  Sunday  school  admitted  free  —  others,  2  cents 
apiece.  Saturday  nights,  —  dramatics,  lyceum  and  open  forum.  No  political 
or  economic  discussions.  Sunday,  after  Sunday  school,  a  neighborhood  concert 
is  given  in  the  auditorium  by  church  choirs  and  glee  clubs.  Religious  moving 
pictures  shown  on  subject  on  which  the  pastor  is  to  preach  in  the  evening. 

Legal  Aid  Bureau.     Employment  Bureau. 

CHURCH  B 

Membership  —  1,100.  Sunday  School  —  500.  Almost  entirely  working- 
men  and  families.     Considerable  number  of  union  men.     Also  of  foreign  born. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Paid  Staff.     Pastor,  church  assistant,  printer  and  sexton,  organist,  chorister. 

Buildings.  One.  Church  building  fitted  for  socialized  church  life.  Four 
tenement  blocks  rented  to  the  Associated  Charities,  District  Nursing  Association 
and  S.  P.  C.  C.  Used  by  labor  unions,  clinics,  public  library,  local  clubs,  and 
others. 

Annual  Budget,  $8,000,  of  which  $2,800  comes  from  mother  church. 

Works  of  Mercy.  Family  case  work  and  poor  relief  largely  in  hands  of 
church  assistant.     Also  does  employment  work. 

Uses  Still  Pictures  instead  of  motion  pictures. 

Recreational  Activities.  Club  work  and  gymnasium  for  boys  and  girls. 
Swimming  in  city's  natatorium.  Also  teaches  swimming  in  connection  with 
vacation  school.  An  "  Amherst  College  enterprise."  Vacation  school  biggest 
thing  going!     Pilgrim  field  in  heart  of  mill  section  for  open-air  activities. 

Forum  Sunday  Evening.     Religious  subjects.     Six  months. 

Has  a  Printing  Plant  for  Propaganda.     $2,000  invested.     Runs  all  the  time. 

CHURCH  C 

Membership.  Three  hundred  and  thirty-three  active  and  contributing. 
Three  hundred  and  three  in  Sunday  school. 

Distinctive  Features: 
Membership.     Ninety  per  cent  workingmen  and  families.     Neighborhood, 
"immigrant  and  industrial."     Groups  in  order  of  numerical  strength  —  Jewish, 
Czecho-Slovak,  Negro,   Italian,  Russian,  Polish,  Bulgarian,  Syrian,,  Albanian. 


ii4  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

Americanization  Work.  "  English,  forum  activities,  Parents'  Council, 
Mothers'  Clubs,  and  popular  lectures  and  services." 

Paid  Staff.  Associate  pastor  and  director  of  religious  education;  director  of 
institutional  work;  director  of  women's  work;  director  of  girls'  work;  athletic 
director;    office  secretary. 

Buildings  and  Uses.  Church  auditorium,  —  general  meetings.  Sunday- 
school  building:  religious  education,  clubs,  dramatics,  movies,  classes,  gymna- 
sium, reading  room  and  library,  craft  uses,  socials,  dinners,  and  parties. 

Also  permits  labor  groups,  political  groups,  and  local  clubs  to  use  them. 

Service  of  Worship.  Has  stressed  current  events;  European  social  and 
religious  backgrounds;  civic  appeals;  nationality  groups;  social  gospel;  special 
Christian  teaching  at  the  request  of  Jewish  groups.  In  the  Sunday-night  services 
has  stereopticon  lectures;   Zionism;   musical  gatherings;   political  meetings. 

Prayer  Meeting.  Uses  church  night  plan  with  Bible  study,  current  events, 
mission  study,  and  club  leaders  classes. 

Evangelism.  Does  not  have  revivals.  Works  through  Sunday  school,  — 
two  months  before  Easter  concerted  personal  work  drive  for  new  members  among 
young  people  and  community  groups. 

Religious  Education.  Uses  graded  lessons  in  Sunday  school.  Has  organized 
instruction  of  converts.  Week-day  instruction.  Has  play  school  on  Saturday 
mornings.  Religious  school  Wednesday  afternoons  supplementing  regular  Sun- 
day-school work.  Daily  Vacation  Bible  School.  Ethical  instruction  in  clubs 
under  supervision  of  leaders. 

Forum.  Has  Thursday  night  community  forum,  with  discussions  on  con- 
troversial subjects  such  as  labor,  capitalism,  socialism,  political  issues,  and  others. 
Allows  discussions  from  the  floor.  Does  not  pay  speakers.  Held  from  October 
to  May. 

Recreational  Features.  Club  work  for  boys  and  girls,  including  Boy  and 
Girl  Scouts  and  Camp  Fire  Girls  and  others  totalling  thirty-eight.  Has  gymna- 
sium. Uses  motion  pictures  regularly  Sunday  and  week-day  evenings.  Type: 
"  general  entertainment  and  educational,  and  what  religious  ones  we  can  find." 

In  Federation  of  Churches.     Also  cooperates  with  local  community  agencies. 

Works  of  Mercy.     Care  of  poor  and  unemployed  through  Deacons'  Board. 

Annual  Budget.     $30,000. 

Control.  Community  Council  of  adults.  Suggestions  on  all  institutional 
and  public  worship  programs.  House  council  of  club  representation  —  finance, 
discipline,  and  program  here  developed.  Real  control  in  hands  of  Joint  Board 
made  up  of  contributing  agencies:  local  members,  Presbytery,  Synod,  and  Board 
of  Home  Missions. 

Fresh  Air  Work.  Summer  home  for  convalescent  women  and  children. 
Two  hundred  and  fifty  women  and  children  every  summer,  without  regard  to 
religious  affiliations. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  115 

CHURCH  D 

Membership  —  90  per  cent  industrial  workers.  Also  foreign  population: 
Armenian  and  Assyrian. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Staff.  Pastor  and  secretary.  Rest  volunteer  workers.  Distinctive  work 
for  foreign-speaking  congregations.  Nestorian  (Assyrian)  and  Gregorian  Ortho- 
dox (Armenian). 

Nestorian.  Has  own  resident  priest.  Holds  services  every  Sunday  after- 
noon and  one  Sunday  morning  a  month  at  5  A.M.  Salary  of  priest  paid  by  his 
own  congregation.     Is  not  officially  connected  with  the  church. 

Gregorian  Congregation.  Under  the  direction  of  a  deacon.  Holds  services 
only  when  one  of  its  priests  can  visit  the  city,  about  four  times  a  year.  Has  a 
week-day  school  in  charge  of  its  own  teachers.  Meets  twice  a  week  in  the  Parish 
house  rooms.  Children  of  both  people  sent  to  regular  church  school.  Also  found 
in  all  regular  church  organizations:  Boy  Scouts,  Boy  Choir,  Girls'  Friendly 
Society,  etc.  Parents  are  willing  to  have  their  children  brought  up  in  the  church 
school.     They  realize  that  they  will  never  use  their  native  tongue. 

Pastor  gives  his  "  personal  ministrations  whenever  their  own  priest  cannot  be 
secured,  attending,  occasionally,  their  festivals." 

CHURCH  E 

Membership  —  372  —  mostly  working  men  and  their  families.  50  per  cent 
union  men. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Paid  Staff.     Pastor,  and  assistant  superintendent  of  Neighborhood  House. 

Neighborhood.  1  to  2  hours'  walk  from  the  heart  of  the  city.  Two  miles 
in  length.  Once  a  creek  bed.  Narrow.  Three  thousand  people  live  there. 
Homes  crammed  together  and  built  up  to  the  sidewalk.  Practically  no  places 
for  recreation.  Fifteen  nationalities.  Religious  affiliations,  Lutheran  and 
Catholic.     Wants  new  church  and  neighborhood  house.     Needs  money. 

Program.     Visitation  and  relief.     Needs  loan  fund. 

Education.  Has  lectures,  entertainments,  lantern  slides,  small  circulating 
library,  story  hour  for  children.  Daily  Vacation  Bible  School  in  summer. 
Wants  a  motion  picture  machine. 

Industrial.     Sewing  classes,  wood  cutting,  raffia  work,  manual  training. 

Clubs  and  Classes.     Scouts,  Camp  Fire  Girls,  Brotherhood,  etc. 

Athletics.  Calisthenic  classes  for  girls  and  women.  Athletic  teams,  games, 
small  playground. 

Notable  Churches  in  Industrial  Communities 

St.  Mark's  Parish  House,  New  Britain,  Conn. 

Saint  Luke's  Parish,  Detroit,  Mich. 

North  Congregational  Church,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


n6  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

Grace  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 
The  Church  By-the-Side-of-the-Road,  Greensboro,  N.  C. 
Woodland  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Broadway  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Denver,  Colo. 
Peoples  Church,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

4.     MIGRANT  GROUPS 

A.     THE  ADAPTATION  OF  THE  CHURCH  TO  THE  AMERICAN 

SEAMEN 

Name  and  Address.     Boston  Seamen's  Friend  Society. 
14  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

Location  of  Buildings.  Sailor's  Rest,  Boston,  Mass.;   A  Bethel  at  Vineyard 
Haven;  Reading  Room  at  Tarpaulin  Cove  on  Naushon  Island. 

Privileges  Provided  for  Sailors.     Over  50,000. 

Dormitory  with  clean,  comfortable  beds.     Shower  baths. 

Canteen. 

Lounge  and  Reading  Rooms.     Writing  tables  and  stationery. 

Recreation  and  Social  Hall.     Free  concerts,  socials,  lectures. 

Sunday  religious  services. 

Banking   Earnings.     Receiving    mail.     Checking   luggage. 

Mufflers,  sweaters,  literature,  etc.,  distributed  among  sailors. 

Motor  boats  furnished  to  carry  men  to  and  from  their  ships  to  the  Society's 
religious  services  and  entertainments. 


B.     ADAPTATION  OF  THE  CHURCH  TO  THE  MIGRANT  WORKERS 
IN  THE  AGRICULTURAL  FIELD 

Type  of  Workers.     Harvest  hands. 

Type  of  Community.     Small  local  harvest  center. 

Program  of  the  Church  in  the  Community :  Enlisted  the  interest  and  coopera- 
tion of  the  mayor,  the  business  men's  association,  and  the  county  commissioners, 
together  with  various  agencies  and  other  church  organizations;  conducted  a 
harvest  welfare  service  during  the  entire  season. 

Cooperated  with  other  organizations  in  furnishing  and  maintaining  a  harvest 
welfare  room  in  the  court  house.  Tables,  chairs,  stationery,  reading  matter  and 
games  were  provided  for  the  use  of  the  men  while  they  were  waiting  to  find  work. 
If  necessary,  the  men  were  allowed  to  sleep  in  the  room. 

Free  entertainments  were  given  several  nights  of  each  week. 

Religious  services  held  in  harvest  welfare  room  on  Sundays,  as  well  as  in  the 
chapels  in  the  open  country  easily  accessible  by  the  men  employed  on  the  farms. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  117 

5.     EXAMPLES  OF  ADAPTATION  TO  THE  STUDENTS 
CHURCH  A 

Student  Population  —  5,000.     Many  nationalities. 
Type  of  School  —  State  University. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Staff.     Pastor,  student  pastor. 

Cooperates  with  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Y.  W.  C.  A.  and  Interchurch  Student  Commit- 
tee in  student  activities. 

Bible  Study.  Pastor  leads  young  men's  group  Sunday  morning.  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
University  secretary  teaches  class  of  young  women.  The  students  join  the 
young  people's  devotional  service  in  the  evening.  Student  pastor  conducts  ser- 
vices for  the  Y.  M.  C.  Associations  during  the  week. 

Social  Life.  A  "  Church  Mixer  "  is  held  at  the  opening  of  each  semester. 
Socials,  hikes,  and  week-end  house  parties  are  part  of  the  season's  program. 

CHURCH  B 

Type  of  School  —  State  Agricultural  College. 
Distinctive  Features: 

Staff.     Pastor,  college  pastor,  and  matron. 

Cooperates  with  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.  in  student  activities.  College 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary  has  office  in  church  building. 

Bible  Study.  Two  large  Bible  classes,  studying  the  principles  relating  to 
everyday  Christian  living,  given  over  to  students.  Extension  service  by  certain 
groups  in  the  church. 

Conferences  held  for  solving  special  student  problems. 

Courses  offered  for  training  rural  leaders:  "  Social  Teachings  of  Jesus  and 
the  Prophets,"  "  The  Rural  Church,"  "  Religious  Education  in  the  County." 

Social  Life.  Church  promotes  fellowship  and  social  activities  among  the 
students.  The  church  greets  each  entering  freshman  class,  and  offers  it  the 
service  of  the  church. 

College  Pastor  is  supported  by  contributions  of  four  denominations. 

CHURCH  C 

Type  of  School  —  State  University. 

Student  Population  —  7,500.  About  1,000  students  become  affiliated  with 
this  church. 

Distinctive  Features: 

Staff.     College  pastor  in  addition  to  regular  church  staff. 

"  Immediately  after  the  high  school  commencements,  church  sends  requests 
to  all  Congregational  ministers  in  state  and  district  drawn  upon  by  the  university, 
asking  for  the  names  of  all  Congregational  young  people  planning  to  enter  the 
institution.     Letters  are  written  to  these  probable  students." 


n8  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

When  the  school  opens  in  the  fall,  a  census  is  taken  of  the  religious  preference 
of  the  students,  and  those  signifying  the  Congregational  church  as  their  choice 
are  visited  and  welcomed  to  the  church. 

Congregational  Students'  Association  is  made  up  of  the  student  group  in  the 
church,  and  carries  on  an  active  social  and  religious  program  during  the  winter. 
This  organization  provides  a  link  between  the  church  and  the  student.  It  com- 
prises six  departments:  Church,  Social,  Music,  Religious  Education,  Finance, 
Social  Service. 

Students  are  accepted  into  the  communion  of  the  church  as  "  Associate 
Members  "  without  severing  membership  in  their  home  churches. 

CHURCH  D 

( Note.  —  The  following  is  the  combined  program  of  five  local  churches  in  a 
college  community.) 

Type  of  School  —  University. 

Distinctive  Features: 
Staff.     Five  student   pastors,   executive  secretary,   hostess  of  association 
building. 

Cooperation.  Student  pastors  and  assistants  in  the  local  church  made  a 
part  of  the  staff  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  which  represents  the  organization  of  the  relig- 
ious forces  inside  the  university  community.  Each  student  pastor  is  director  of 
one  phase  of  this  united  work. 

Religious  Life.  Twenty-seven  Bible  classes  for  students  in  the  community. 
One  open  Forum.  Plans  are  in  course  of  development  for  a  School  of  Religion. 
Special  services  and  Bible  classes  for  foreign  students. 

Association  Club  House.  Library,  periodical  reading  room,  committee 
rooms,  lounge  and  auditorium.  Coffee  house  where  regular  meals  are  served,  or 
special  lunches  for  noon-time  committee  meetings. 

Employment  Service  maintained  for  benefit  of  students  desiring  work  while 
in  the  university. 

Extension  Service.  Student  speakers  and  entertainers  sent  into  the  sur- 
rounding agricultural  region  in  cooperation  with  College  of  Agriculture.  Stu- 
dents conduct  summer  camps  for  boys.  Boys'  State  Conference  promoted  by 
faculty  and  student  association. 

Association  publishes  and  distributes  the  College  Handbook  for  Freshmen  and 
arranges  hospitality  for  new  students. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  119 

Section  D 

EQUIPMENT  OF  CHURCH 

The  friendly  church  must  build  for  friendship  and  fellowship. 
Too  many  churches  have  tried  to  fit  their  groups  into  the  church 
building.  It  would  be  wiser  to  build  the  building  in  a  way  which 
will  adequately  house  the  various  groups  of  the  church.  The  fol- 
lowing suggestions  for  community  service  rooms,  rooms  for  recrea- 
tion and  athletics,  are  given  here  not  because  they  are  the  most 
important  features  of  a  modern  church  building,  but  because  they 
are  likely  to  be  important  to  readers  of  this  book  who  are  interested 
in  the  socialized  church.  The  suggestions  are  printed  by  permission 
of  the  Interchurch  Press,  and  are  taken  from  "  Standards  for  City 
Church  Plants." 

1.     COMMUNITY  SERVICE  ROOMS  l 
A.     ROOMS  FOR  GENERAL  USE 

1.  Recreation  and  Dining  Room. 

c.  Size.  Large  enough  to  seat  at  table  at  least  50  per  cent  of  the  people 
served  by  the  community  church.  Allow  ten  square  feet  per  person 
to  be  served. 

b.  Equipment.  Material  for  take-down  tables,  temporary  platform,  piano, 
folding  chairs. 

2.  Kitchen. 

a.  Location.     Convenient  to  the  recreation  and  dining  room.     Size  should  be 

one  tenth  of  the  area  of  the  larger  room.  Separate  service  entrance 
should  be  provided. 

b.  Equipment.     A  range  and,  where  possible,  gas  plates.     Large  kettles 

and  other  necessary  utensils  for  cooking  for  large  groups.  Dishes, 
silver  and  linen  for  maximum  number  to  be  served.  Sinks,  hot  and 
cold  water,  dish'washing  facilities  and  drain  racks,  etc.  Tables  for 
scraping  dirty  dishes  with  garbage  receptacle  underneath.  Broad  and 
sufficient  serving  space  between  kitchen  and  dining  room  with  counter 
shelves  for  quick  service.  Two-way  swing  doors  between  kitchen  and 
dining  room,  with  kicking  plate  and  glass  panel.  Refrigerator  equip- 
ment. Vegetable  storage.  Steam  kettles,  electric  potato  paring 
machines,  electric  cream  freezers  and  electric  dishwashers  are  desirable 
equipment. 


1  Quoted  from  "Standards  for  City  Church  Plants  "  by  permission  of  the 
Interchurch  Press,  New  York  City. 


120  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

3.  Library  and  Reading  Room. 

a.  Location.     Near  main  entrance  or  with  separate  r.'itside  entrance. 

b.  Equipment. 

(1)  Library.     Books  and  periodicals,  reference  books    encyclopedias,  church 

histories,  and  other  church  references,  adjustable  book  shelves,  libra- 
rian's desk,  card  catalogue,  typewriter,  repair  marking  equipment, 
charging  system  and  records. 

(2)  Reading  Room.     Tables  or  desks,  preferably  with  seclusion  partitions, 

individual  reading  lights,  comfortable  chairs,  racks  for  wraps  and 
umbrellas,  holders  for  newspapers  and  magazines. 


B.     ROOMS  FOR  SOCIAL  PURPOSES 

1.  Women's  Social  Room  and  Mothers'  Room.  Equipped  with  tables, 
chairs,  couches,  and  furnished  in  a  way  to  make  it  an  attractive  meeting-place  for 
women's  clubs  and  organizations.  Should  adjoin  the  day  nursery  room.  Should 
have  large  enough  closet  or  anteroom  to  enclose  sewing  machines  and  other 
equipment  which  might  be  used  by  different  organizations  using  the  room. 

2.  Girls'  Clubrooms. 

a.  Location.     Accessible   and   visible   from   street,    with   separate   outside 

entrance.     Convenient  to  library. 

b.  Equipment.     Should  consist  of  chairs,  tables,  newspaper  and  magazine 

racks,  trophy  cases  and  bulletin  boards.  Wardrobes  or  closets  to  be 
used  by  separate  organizations  for  keeping  costumes  and  other  equip- 
ment. Pictures  and  pennants  to  make  room  an  attractive  meeting  and 
gathering  place  for  girls. 

3.  Men's  Clubroom. 

a.  Location.     Accessible  and  visible  from  the  street.     Direct  entrance  from 

outside  of  building.    Convenient  to  library. 

b.  Equipment  should  consist  of  comfortable  chairs,  tables,  newspaper  and 

magazine  racks,  chess  tables,  pictures,  rugs,  etc.,  to  make  the  room  an 
attractive  lounging  and  rest  room  for  men. 

4.  Boys'  Clubrooms. 

Equipped  similarly  to  the  girls'  clubroom. 

5.  Nurses'  and  Rest  Room. 

a.  Location.     Convenient  to  school  classrooms. 

b.  Equipped  with  adequate  first-aid  outfit,  chairs,  reclining  couch,  wash- 

stand  with  hot  and  cold  water  and  toilet. 

6.  Day  Nursery. 

a.  Located  near  mothers'  room. 

b.  Equipped  with  cribs,  kindergarten  chairs  and  tables,  toys,  etc. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  121 

7.  Civic  Center  Room. 

a.  Used  as  a  room  for  evening  classes  in  citizenship  for  social  gathering  and 

special  talks,  and  for  committees  and  other  bodies  engaged  in  com- 
munity work. 

b.  Equipped  with  text  books,  writing  materials,  lantern  and  reflectoscope, 

signs   and   placards,   and   other   materials   used    in   civic   instruction. 
Pictures  with  American  ideals  should  predominate. 

8.  Social  Workers'  Office. 

a.  This  room  should  be  equipped  with  desk,  table  and  chairs  for  conferences 
and  small  group  meetings.  Filing  cases  for  card  records  of  visits,  cases, 
and  follow-up  work.  A  small  reference  library  of  special  books  to  be 
referred  to  in  personal  consultations  is  desirable. 


1  C.  ROOMS  FOR  RECREATION  AND  ATHLETICS. 

1.  Gymnasium. 

a.  Location.     On  ground  floor,  accessible  from  playground  by  outside  door. 

b.  Adequate  dimensions  are  50  x  75  x  16  feet.     Where  balcony  is  provided 

for  audience  or  for  running  track,  the  height  should  be  increased  to 
22  to  25  feet.  Walls  light  colored.  Windows  and  lights  protected  by 
heavy  meshed  wire.  Where  support  columns  are  needed,  they  should  be 
padded  to  a  height  of  six  feet.     Should  be  sound  proof. 

c.  Equipment.     Provision  for  basketball,  volley  ball,  indoor  baseball,  and 

other  group  activities.  Pulley  weights,  horizontal  and  parallel  bars, 
climbing  ropes,  and  ladders,  jumping  standards,  flying  rings,  dumb 
bells,  Indian  clubs,  boxing  gloves,  quoits,  etc. 

d.  Athletic  Directors'  Office.     Fully  equipped  and  located  so  as  to  control  all 

athletic  rooms. 

2.  Locker  Rooms. 

Adjacent  to  the  gymnasium.  Separate  for  sexes.  Steel  lockers.  Venti- 
lated. Minimum  of  large  dressing  lockers  with  maximum  of  small 
storage  lockers. 

3.  Showers. 

Side  showers,  regulated  with  ease  from  entrance,  curtained  entrances, 
adjacent  to  locker  rooms.  Hot  and  cold  water  should  be  obtainable  at 
all  times  at  each  shower.  This  last  standard  requires  careful  considera- 
tion when  plumbing  is  being  installed. 


1  Quoted  from  "  Standard  for  City  Church  Plants."     Used  by  permission  of 
the  Interchurch  Press,  New  York  City. 


122  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

4.  Swimming  Pool. 

Easily  accessible  from  locker  rooms  with  separate  entrances  from  each. 
Graduated  depth.  Tiled  bottom  and  sides.  Should  be  at  least  15  or  30 
feet.  Provision  for  sanitary  maintenance,  for  frequent  and  adequate 
cleansing  of  the  pool,  for  a  continuous  and  filtered  water  supply  and  for 
the  sterilization  and  laundering  of  swimming  suits  and  towels  should 
be  included.  Provision  for  constant  supervision  of  pool  while  in  use 
requires  a  swimming  attendant's  office  with  wide  window  overlooking 
the  pool. 

5.  Hand  Ball  Courts. 

Provision  can  be  made  for  these  in  a  small  room,  e.  g.,  12  x  16  feet.  Out- 
door courts  can  often  be  made  against  blank  walls  of  the  building  and  if 
a  concrete  floor  is  provided  can  be  used  all  year.  Where  separate 
provision  is  not  made  for  hand  ball,  one  or  more  wall  spaces  in  the 
gymnasium  should  be  left  clear  of  apparatus  for  use  with  hand  ball. 

6.  Game  or  Amusement  Rooms. 

Equipped  with  stands  for  checkers,  shuffle  boards,  chess,  cards  and  other 
concentration  games.  Where  separate  room  is  not  available  for  these 
games,  they  should  be  distributed  through  the  several  clubrooms. 
Where  billiard  or  pool  tables  are  installed,  equipment  for  cues  and  their 
care  should  be  provided.  There  should  be  space  enough  for  chairs  at 
sides  or  ends  of  rooms.  Room  16  x  20  feet  will  accommodate  two 
tables.  Such  a  room  is  preferably  located  near  physical  director's 
office,  or  some  other  rooms  where  an  officer  is  in  constant  attendance. 
Efficient  upkeep  of  all  equipment  is  essential. 

7.  Bowling  Alley. 

Most  economically  built  as  a  pair  of  alleys.  Should  be  sound  proof. 
Bank  of  seats  at  end  for  spectators  and  for  contestants  in  tournaments. 
Two  alleys  require  a  space  11  feet  6  inches  x  83  feet.  Each  additional 
alley  will  require  an  addition  5  feet  9  inches  in  width.  Galley  at  rear 
will  be  additional  to  the  above  length. 

2.     MOTION   PICTURES   AND   STEREOPTICON 

a.  Stereopticon  equipment  (separate  unit  from  motion  picture  machine). 

Stereopticon  equipment,  as  a  separate  unit  from  a  motion  picture  machine, 
is  put  on  the  market  by  many  concerns,  chief  among  which  are: — 

Bausch  and  Lomb  Optical  Co.,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Charles  Beseler  Co.,  131  E.  23rd  St.,  New  York. 

Mcintosh,  Chicago. 

Spencer  Lens  Co.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Victor  Animatograph  Co.,  Davenport,  la. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  123 

In  the  purchase  of  equipment,  the  first  questions  the  manufacturers  will  ask 
are: 

(1)  Alternating  or  direct  current  and  voltage? 

(2)  Length  of  "  throw  "?  (i.  e.  distance  from  machine  to  the  screen). 

(3)  Size  of  picture  desired? 

The  great  majority  of  churches  are  supplied  with  110  volts  alternating  cur- 
rent. With  a  600  watt  incandescent  lamp  a  12  x  12  foot  picture  can  be  had, 
well  illuminated,  up  to  75  feet.  For  distances  over  75  feet  the  need  is  for  a  1000 
watt  incandescent  lamp,  often  requiring  special  house  wiring  for  increased  cur- 
rent, and  a  transformer,  or,  for  a  monoplane  lamp  machine  designed  for  1 10 
volts,  alternating  current,  with  a  transformer  for  monoplane  lamps  of  20  volts 
and  20  amperes.  This  machine  ite  nearly  the  equal  of  an  arc  machine  using  alter- 
nating current.  An  arc  light  is  required  only  when  theatre  conditions  (a  long 
throw  and  large  pictures)  are  to  be  met.  For  a  throw  of  from  30  to  40  feet  a  400 
watt  lamp  is  sufficient. 

These  figures  are  for  projection  in  a  dark  room.  For  daytime  projection 
where  a  certain  amount  of  light  is  unavoidable  decrease  diameter  of  picture  by 
25  per  cent. 

The  usual  lens  provided  is  half-size  objective,  and  must  be  of  the  proper 
focal  length. 

Roughly  the  expense  of  equipment  is  as  follows: 

Machine  Lens  Throw  Price 

*20  volts-20  amp.  monoplane  §  objective  lens  80-125  ft.  $75.00 

*1000  watt  incandescent  §  objective  lens  80-100  ft.  70-85.00 

600  watt  incandescent  h  objective  lens  50-  75  ft.  65.00 

400  watt  incandescent  \  objective  lens  30-  45  ft.  60.00 

400  watt  incandescent  \  objective  lens  47.50 
*  Extra  for  transformer  (about  $35)  and  any  change  in  wiring. 

The  question  has  been  asked,  can  a  stereopticon  (  or  projection  machine) 
be  operated  from  a  side  aisle  or  gallery  to  a  screen  at  the  side  front?  These  are 
not  very  fair  conditions,  but  when  necessary  to  be  met  the  screen  should  be  placed 
not  over  105  degrees  toward  the  audience  from  the  direction  of  projection,  or 
15  degrees  more  than  the  prime  condition  of  right  angles.  A  plain  white  muslin 
or  canvas  screen  should  be  used  in  this  case. 

For  screens,  see  under  "  Motion  Picture  Equipment." 
b.  Motion  picture   equipment 

(1)     BOOTH 
Every  state  except  Michigan  requires  a  booth  for  the  housing  of  all  projec- 
tion machines  using  standard  film.     Construction  of  booths  is  governed  by  the 
laws  of  the  state  and  subject  to  inspection  by  the  local  authorities.     Built-in 
booths,  which  have  the  advantage  of  being  sound  proof  as  well  as  fire  proof,  are 


124  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

usually  of  hollow  tile,  concrete  or  brick.  Portable  and  semi-portable  booths  are 
constructed  of  sheet  metal,  Kalamein  (metal  over  wood),  asbestos  panel  or  asbes- 
tos cloth.     In  some  localities  Kalamein  and  asbestos  cloth  are  not  permitted. 

The  minimum  dimension  requirements  are  usually  5x5x6  feet  or  6  feet  6 
inches  high. 

Among  others,  the  equipment  may  be  purchased  of  the  following: 

cost  about 

George  Howard,  N.  Y.                                  Sheet  metal        5x5x6  $150.00 

A.  L.  Raven,  N.  Y.                                        Kalamein            5x5x6  200.00 

Sharlow  Bros.,  440  West  42nd  St.,              Sheet  Metal       4x5x6  170.00 

New  York  City                                          Asbestos  board  6x8x7  262.65 

Johns  Mansville  Co.,  New  York                 Asbestos  panel  4x6x7  150.00 

Asbestos  cloth    5x5x6  320.00 

Rialto  Supply  Co.,  Minneapolis                                              4x5x6  165.00 

(2)     MOTION  PICTURE  PROJECTORS 

For  convenience,  we  will  class  motion  picture  projectors  as  arc  and  incan- 
descent equipped  machines. 

Arc  equipped  machines  are  necessary  for  all  throws  over  70  feet  for  a  10  x  12 
ft.  picture.  Arc  machines  can  be  operated  on  either  alternating  or  direct  cur- 
rents. For  arc  machines,  the  question  of  available  current,  wiring,  reostats, 
transformer,  resistance  coils,  etc.,  should  be  taken  up  with  the  manufacturer  or 
dealer. 

Lighting  circuits  are  usually  110  volts,  sometimes  220  volts,  and  must  be 
reduced  to  about  48  volts  for  the  arc.  The  amperage  requirements  are  roughly 
23  to  50  on  direct  currents,  and  from  40  to  60  on  alternating  currents. 

Incandescent  equipped  machines,  except  sometimes  when  using  the  1000 
watts  lamp,  do  not  require  special  wiring. 

In  every  case,  have  the  advice  of  your  electrician  before  connecting  up. 

The  information  which  one  should  have  before  him  when  purchasing  a 
machine  is  shown  on  the  following  page. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  125 


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126  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

c.  Screens 

Any  wall  with  a  smooth  or  slightly  rough  surface  can  be  painted  for  a  screen. 
Painting  should  be  to  resemble  plain  white  or  metallic  coated  screens  as  is  deemed 
best.     Kalsomine  is  very  good  for  this  purpose  when  a  plain  surface  is  wanted. 

Opinion  differs  as  to  the  relative  merits  of  the  various  screens.  They  are 
made  of  plain  white  muslin,  canvas,  aluminum  or  silvertone  finish,  beaded,  gold 
fibre,  half-tone,  translux  (for  daylight  projection),  mirroroid  and  sateen. 

They  may  be  had  on  stationary  frames,  on  rollers,  or  spring  rollers  or  with 
grommets  depending  upon  the  conditions  to  be  met. 

In  many  cases  plain  muslin  or  canvas  screens  are  very  suitable  and  give  very 
good  results.  These  may  be  had  with  a  flexible  backing  of  rubber  which  admits  of 
their  being  folded  without  wrinkling.  They  are  easy  to  hang  and  remove. 
Plain  canvas  screens  are  improved  by  a  coating  of  kalsomine  or  other  similar 
finish. 

Aluminum  screens  give  a  brilliant  image  and  may  be  used  wherever  the  angle 
of  view  is  not  over  60  degrees.  They  give  best  results  in  a  long  narrow  room  but 
should  not  be  used  when  colored  pictures  are  shown. 

Half-tone  screens  are  recommended  for  both  motion  pictures  and  stereopti- 
cons. 

The  metallic  surfaced  screens  such  as  the  aluminum  ones,  give  best  results 
when  permanently  placed.  They  may  be  had,  however,  on  spring  rollers  operat- 
ing in  a  dust  proof  case,  enabling  them  to  be  rolled  up  after  each  showing  with 
great  ease. 

Among  the  manufacturers  and  dealers  are: 

United  Theatre  Equipment  Co., 

Aluminum  or  silvertone,  stationary  or  on  roller  60-75  cts.  per  sq.  ft. 

Minusa  Gold  Fibre  $1.25  per  sq  ft. 
Howell's  Cine  Co. 

Beaded,  stationary  3.00  per  sq.  ft. 

Gardiner  Gold  Fibre,  stationary  1.25  per  sq.  ft. 
Glifograph  Corp. 

Hyperbolic  frame,  stationary  2.50  per  sq.  ft. 
A.  L.  Raven,  90  Gold  St.,  New  York  City 

Half-tone  (rubber  back)  on  roller  or  with  grommets  .75  per  sq.  ft. 
American  Lux  Products  Co. 

Translux,  stationary  for  daylight  projections  4.00  per  sq.  ft. 
Chas.  Beseler  Co.,  131  West  23rd  St.,  New  York  City 

8  x  10  9.00 

Muslin                                             9  x  12  12.50 

12  x  15  18.00 

Roped,  braided  and  reinforced  —  extra  charge  for  mounting  Mirroroid  Corp. 

Mirroroid,  stationary  .7S-.95  per  sq.  ft. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  127 


MOTION  PICTURE  PROJECTORS 

Standard  Machines.  (For  use  in  halls  and  large  rooms),  where  the  throw  is 
more  than  fifty  feet. 

1.  Nicholas  Power  Machines  (Nicholas  Power  Co.,  90  Gold  Street,  New  York 
City.)     Prices  from  $325  to  $575. 

2.  Simplex  (Precision  Machine  Co.,  317  E.  34th  Street,  New  York  City.) 
Prices  from  $495  to  $565. 

Semi-Portable  Machines. 

1.  Zenith  (Consolidated  Projector  Co.,  Duluth,  Minn.)     Price,  $298. 

2.  Graphoscope,  Jr.  (Graphoscope  Development  Co.,  Newark,  N.  J.) 
Price,  $350. 

Portable  (Suit  case)  Machines. 

1.  Acme,  Jr.  (United  Theatre  Equipment  Corporation,  729  Seventh 
Avenue,  New  York.)     Prices,  $135  to  $200. 

2.  De  Vry  (De  Vry  Agency,  141  West  42nd  Street,  New  York.)  Prices, 
$225  to  $250. 

3.  Graphoscope  —  "  Portmanto."  (Graphoscope  Development  Co.,  New- 
ark, N.  J.)     Price,  $300. 

4.  American  Projectoscope.  (Motion  Picture  Apparatus  Co.,  New  York 
City.)     Price,  $225. 

5.  Rex  Projector.  (Rex  Projector  Co.,  203  South  Dearborn  Street,  Chicago, 
111.)     Price,  $225. 

Stereopticons 
Bosch  and  Tomb. 
Spencer  Delineascope. 

Suggestions  for  Operation  of  the  Machine 

1.  Secure  instruction  from  a  competent  licensed  operator  rather  than  merely 
from  a  book  of  rules. 

2.  Learn  how  to  set  up  the  machine. 

3.  Learn  about  the  tension,  take,  focus,  light  adjustment,  shadow  elimina- 
tion, etc. 

4.  Learn  how  to  thread  the  machine,  rewind  the  film,  mend  breaks. 

Install  the  Machine 

Secure  from  the  State,  City  and  County  officials,  also  from  the  Board  of  Fire 
Underwriters  a  copy  of  local  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  use  of  motion 
pictures.  These  rules  will  give  the  directions  as  to  handling,  storage,  and 
insurance. 

2.  Measure  the  distance  in  your  auditorium  between  the  screen  and  the 
place  where  the  machine  will  stand.     This  will  give  you  the  length  of  "  throw  " 


128  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

and  help  you  determine  what  kind  of  machine  to  purchase,  and  also  give  you  the 

size  of  your  picture. 

^.;,     3.  Find  out  from  your  electric  company  what  voltage  they  can  furnish. 

4.  Get  a  permit  from  the  insurance  company  which  handles  the  building  risk 
for  installing  a  motion  picture  machine. 

5.  Set  up  your  booth  and  machine,  having  an  electrician  connect  up  the 
proper  size  cable. 

6.  The  booth  should  be  equipped  with  fire  extinguishers. 


SECTION   E 

DIRECTORY  OF  SOCIAL  SERVICE  AGENCIES 

American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  Department  of  Social  Edu- 
cation, 1701  Chestnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  Department  of  Social 
Service  and  Rural  Community  Work,  23  East  26th  Street, 
New  York  City. 

American  Country  Life  Association,  Amherst,  Mass. 

American  Farm  Bureau  Federation,  58  East  Washington  Street, 
Chicago,  111. 

American  Federation  of  Labor,  A.  F.  of  L.  Building,  Washington, 
D.  C. 

American  National  Red  Cross,  17th  and  D  Streets,  N.  W.,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

American  Seamen's  Friend  Society,  76  Wall  Street,  New  York  City. 

American  Social  Hygiene  Association,  370  7th  Avenue,  New  York 
City. 

American  Sociological  Society,  58th  Street  and  Ellis  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

American  Unitarian  Association,  Department  of  Community  Ser- 
vice, 25  Beacon  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

Anti-Saloon  League  of  America,  Bliss  Building,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Boy  Scouts  of  America,  200  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Bureau  of  Jewish  Social  Research,  114  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 
City. 

Camp  Fire  Girls,  31  East  17th  Street,  New  York  City. 

Child  Welfare  League  of  America,  130  East  2 2d  Street,  New  York 
City. 

Christian  Church,  Bureau  of  Social  Service,  Lima,  Ohio. 

Church  League  for  Industrial  Democracy,  6335  Ross  Avenue, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Church  Peace  Union,  70  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Commission  on  Inter-racial  Cooperation,  417  Palmer  Building, 
Atlanta,  Ga. 

Community  Motion  Picture  Bureau,  46  W.  24th  Street,  New  York 
City. 

Community  Service,  1  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City. 


130  SOCIAL  WORK  IN  THE  CHURCHES 

Congregational  Church,  Commission  on  Social  Service,  14  Beacon 

Street,  Boston,  Mass. 
Department  of  Agriculture,  U.  S.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Department  of  Commerce,  U.  S.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Department  of  Labor,  U.  S.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Disciples  of  Christ,  Board  of  Temperance  and  Social  Welfare,  821 

Occidental  Building,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Federal  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  in  America,  Commission  on 

the  Church  and  Social  Service,   105   East  22d  Street,  New 

York  City. 
Girl  Scouts,  189  Lexington  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
Girls'  Friendly  Society  in  America,  15  E.  40th  Street,  New  York 

City. 
Home  Missions  Council,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
Massachusetts  Federation  of  Churches,  6  Beacon  Street,  Boston, 

Mass. 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Board  of  Temperance,  Prohibition 

and  Public  Morals,  110  Maryland  Avenue,  N.  E.,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 
Methodist  Epsicopal  Church,  South,  Commission  on  Temperance 

and  Social  Service,  810  Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn. 
Methodist  Federation  for  Social  Service,  150  Fifth  Avenue,  New 

York. 
Missionary  Education  Movement  of  the  United  States  and  Canada, 

150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
National  Bureau  of  Economic  Research,  175  Ninth  Avenue,  New 

York  City. 
National  Catholic  Welfare  Council,  1312  Massachusetts  Avenue, 

N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
National  Child  Labor  Committee,  105  East  22d  Street,  New  York 

City. 
National  Child  Welfare  Association,  70  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 

City. 
National  Conference  of  Jewish  Social  Service,  114  Fifth  Avenue, 

New  York  City. 
National  Consumers'  League,  44  East  23d  Street,  New  York  City. 
National  Grange  of  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  Tippecanoe  City,  Ohio. 
National  Indian  Association,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
National  Industrial  Conference  Board,  10  East  39th  Street,  New 
York  City. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  WORLD  131 

National  Information  Bureau,  1  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
National  Social  Workers'  Exchange,   130  East  22d  Street,  New 

York  City. 
Playground  and  Recreation  Association  of  America,   1   Madison 

Avenue,  New  York  City. 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Board  of  Home  Missions,  156 

Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City.     Board  of  Temperance  and 

Moral  Welfare,  Columbia    Bank  Building,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.,  Commission  on  Home  Missions, 

1522  Hurt  Building,  Atlanta,  Ga. 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  Department  of  Christian  Social  Ser- 
vice, 281  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
Reformed  Church  in  America,  Board  of  Domestic  Missions,  25  East 

22d  Street,  New  York  City. 
Reformed  Church  in  U.  S.,  Commission  on  Social  Service  and  Rural 

Work,  15th  and  Race  Streets,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Russell  Sage  Foundation,  130  East  22d  Street,  New  York  City. 
Salvation  Army,  120  West  14th  Street,  New  York  City. 
Seventh  Day  Baptists,  Plainfield,  New  Jersey. 
Survey  Associates,  112  East  19th  Street,  New  York  City. 
United  Christian  Missionary  Society,  Commission  on  Social  Service, 

1501  Locust  Street,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
United  Brethren,  Sunday  School  and  Brotherhood  Work,  United 

Brethren  Building,  Dayton,  Ohio. 
United  Lutheran  Church  in  America,  437  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 

City. 
Universalist  Church,  Commission  on  Social  Service,  Rev.  Clarence 

R.  Skinner,  Secretary,  Tufts  College,  Mass. 
World  Alliance  for  International  Friendship  Through  the  Churches, 

70  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
World  Brotherhood  Federation,  23  East  26th  Street,  New  York 

City. 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  347  Madison  Avenue,  New 

York  City. 
Young  Women's   Christian  Association,   600   Lexington  Avenue, 

New  York  City. 


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